Injustice 2 Announcement Trailer, My Thoughts

The Netherrealm Studios-made game Injustice Among Us has a sequel! Yup, the DC Comics fighting game has a trailer...and I am RIDICULOUSLY late when it comes to giving my thoughts on it. First of all, I never played the first Injustice game. I had heard a lot of good things about it, but I just never bothered to grab it. I don't know why, it looked pretty neat.

So with that out of the way, here's the trailer!

The trailer begins with that looks like Superman brawling with the Flash, and basically thrashing him. He is Superman, after all. A voice starts talking about how battle can change a man. While this is happening, what looks like pieces of armor start unfolding and covering Flash's body. It reminds me of Flash's New 52 look.

That armor must give Flash some kind of boost, as the Scarlet Speedster easily ducks Superman's punch by pretending it's a limbo pole (How low can you gooooooo?), and just royally wrecks The Man of Steel.

Flash thinks he's won...whatever is going on here, when Batman shows up. Batman beats down Flash, typical DC, always making Batman overpowered. The Dark Knight attaches a bomb to Flash's chest, and then it explodes. Bats then gets a golden projectile to the gut. He'll survive this, because he's overpowered. And DC loves making him overpowered.

The golden projectile is revealed to be a trident, wielded by the King of the Seas himself, Aquaman. Batman fights back with a Batarang, and then lifts him up, armor pieces forming over him. I have to admit that the armor-forming is pretty cool. Bats's armor also has green TRON lines on it. I think we can safely assume Bruce Wayne is a TRON fan. He gets tackled by Superman.

Supes is about to introduce him to his heat vision when HE gets blasted, and Bats's savior is...Supergirl, who has some armor pieces of her own. Aquaman retrieves his trident, with some armor pieces forming over him, too.

Armor pieces form over Superman (What does HE need armor for?), and Batman's armor finishes forming, and it makes him look like Batman Beyond a bit. Nice nod. The heroes then all charge at each other, ready to get into an all-out brawl.

The teaser also reveals that pre-orders come with Darkseid. Hope he's DLC for this game, too.

I have to admit, the teaser is pretty neat. It really gives the characters a sense of power, and It's really cool seeing them armor up. Maybe I should get the first Injustice game...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey there, everyone! I just have one thing to say!

That's right, it's Valentine's Day! Originating as a feast day celebrating various saints named Valentinus, it would evolve into a holiday celebrating romantic love in the 14th century thanks to Geoffrey Chauser and his circle of friends. By the 18th century in England, it would evolve further into essentially the Valentine's Day we know today, with the offering of chocolates, flowers, and cards to loved ones that we know today. You can read here for more info on this day and its history.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy yourselves on this day! Spend some time with someone you love, where it'd be family, a significant other, friends, or even a pet or two! Have a great day!

Cage #1 (April 1992)

Hey, everyone! It's February, which means it's Black History Month. As such, I think it would be appropriate to look at a comic that focused on a black superhero. And since this guy is particularly hot at the moment, I thought it would be neat to take a look at a comic starring Luke Cage.

Who is Luke Cage, you ask? Well, the character was inspired by the popularity of Blaxploitation films, first appearing in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (June 1972). In fact, Cage is a pioneer. He is the first black character in comics to be the protagonist of his own comic book series. Born Carl Lucas from Harlem, NYC, Luke Cage was a gang member framed and imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. He was sent to Seagate Prison, where he was the favorite target of a racist guard.

One day, a Dr. Noah Burstein recruits Cage for an experiment to create a super-soldier. The racist guard, Albert "Billy Bob" Rackham, sabotaged the experiment in an attempt to kill him. However, it did not go as planned. It ended up giving Luke Cage superhuman strength and steel-hard skin, able to deflect bullets. He escaped, went back to New York, took up the name "Luke Cage" (I believe at some point in the comics, he would legally change his name), and the rest is history.

In the 40+ years since, Cage would be a regular presence in the Marvel Universe over the years. He had encounters with various heroes and join various hero teams, like the Fantastic Four, the Defenders, and a couple incarnations of the Heroes for Hire. The character underwent a resurgence thanks to Brian Michael Bendis, and has become an Avenger, lead an incarnation of the Thunderbolts, and even has become a husband to Jessica Jones, and the father of a little girl named Danielle Cage, who has a future counterpart that has taken up the mantle of Captain America. Cage has really gone up in the world.

He's become so popular that he even got his own Netflix spinoff after appearing in the Jessica Jones series (IT BROKE NETFLIX), is going to be a part of the Defenders Netflix series, and he's also got a new Power Man/Iron Fist series going.

So with all that out of the way, let's take a look at Cage #1, the start of his 1990s series.

The cover is pretty neat. Front and center is Luke Cage with his "new look" for the time, symbolically tearing up the classic yellow shirt and chain belt he wore as his costume. Around him are various people who are part of the cast for the new title, including Dakota North, a private investigator.

Interestingly, the cover of the trade paperback Second Chances, where I got this issue from, uses this cover as its cover, albeit the coloring is altered. The trade cover has a recolored version, puts more color on the supporting cast. It looks pretty, but at the same time, I like the original coloring because it draws the eye to Cage himself and puts him front and center.

"The Drowning Man"
Writer: Marc McLaurin
Penciler: Dwayne Turner
Inker: Christopher Ivy
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Colorist: Mike Thomas
Editor: Kelly Corvese
Editor-In-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The issue begins with a woman recapping Luke Cage's origins and history up to this point, including his empowering, his days as a Hero for Hire alongside Iron Fist to his being framed for Iron Fist's murder (Yeah, he got better from that). The woman is revealed to be Dakota North, who was hired by a newspaper to find Luke Cage.

She talks to three people in the room, and an intercom. The three people are Jeryn Hogarth, who is the paper's lawyer and a friend of Cage's from the Heroes for Hire days, reporter Analisa Medina, and photographer Micky Hamilton, who covered wars. It's presumed he may have worked with Frank West at some point.

You know, in the first close-up of Micky Hamilton, is it just me, or does he look like a young Danny Glover a little bit? Anyway, the head of the paper is one Mr. Drewston. Much like Charlie, he talks to them through an intercom. Drewston thinks covering Cage's adventures could help sell papers, much like the Bugle's coverage of Spider-Man. Hamilton reveals that his sources have told him that Cage has started a new "Heroes for Hire" right in Chicago. All they have to do is find some trouble, and he'll be there.

Hamilton's prediction is right on the money, as Cage has gotten himself into a...bit of a scuffle in the form of a good ol' fashioned barfight.

Someone tries to shoot him, but bullets tend not to agree with steel-hard skin. However, someone has brought a new weapon to the fight, an electrified chain.

A van crashes into the bar, and Cage ends up preoccupied with protecting the bystanders, and the narration goes into how Cage always used to have someone's back in these situations, usually Iron Fist. One could protect bystanders, while the other could concentrate on the villain. Cage bursts in after it, and gets into a brawl with the men inside. The driver is a flamboyant man called Hardcore.

I have to admit, I kind of like Hardcore. He's flamboyant, has a cool weapon, and is fond of quoting people. He's also from the Caribbean, particularly St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Anyway, Hardcore lets another man take the wheel, and attacks cage with his chain weapon, which he explains is a modified manriki.

Despite Cage's super strength and toughness, Hardcore is able to thrash him, while quoting Tao in the process. Yeah, as I said, Hardcore has a fondness for quoting people, and based on who he quotes, he has a fondness for poetry. I think it's a neat quirk. I also like that he tells people who he's quoting. I think it's a nice bit of character, showing that he's well-read and a bit of a cocky snob about it.

Some of the men try to get away, but Cage stops them with the help of a manhole cover. He finds him swarmed by reporters, but he just wants to get his paycheck. Jeryn Hogarth pushes his way through the crowd, and tells Cage he now represents the Chicago Spectator, and the paper wants to make a deal with him. Back at the Spectator offices on Tuesday afternoon, Analisa expresses her reluctance with the paper's associating with Cage as she feels he's a loose cannon. Micky is more optimistic, feeling that Cage will bring some great attention. Analisa hopes no one gets killed as a result of this.

In Oakdale, Hardcore has a bazooka. He uses it to blow up the estate of a man named Angelopoulos, who insists on being called Angel. He quotes the Greek playwright Euripides during the action. It's part of a plan for Angel to fake his death.

Back at the paper, Hogarth, Micky, Analisa, and Dakota North brief Cage on Elio Angelopoulos III. A former strike-breaker, he eventually became head of the arms company Angelco Enterprises, one of the biggest companies in America. He's also a gun collector who is tied to the Maggia, the Marvel Universe's version of the Mafia.

Angel did arms deals with some very bad dudes. However, karma can be a vicious lady. He lost a ton of money in Vegas, which got him under the control of the Maggia. His company has gone downhill as a result of this, leading up to deaths and a strike. The paper staff believe that it'll only be a matter of time before the cops tie Angel to the insanity, and he'll try and take any many people as he can with him before the cops get him.

Micky rushes in, saying that Angel is trying to flee to the airstrip. He's got a helicopter ready to go, but they have to move fast. Luke wants to know why the paper wants to hire him to catch the guy. Analisa admits that they want the exclusive on the story of Angel's capture. Their covering his fight earlier caused them to sell out their morning edition, and they figured that covering him more an only help keep sales up. Cage is rather...impressed with Analisa's honesty, and takes the job.

Uh, Luke, you're being awfully creepy in that panel, man. You...may want to step back a bit. In the helicopter, Luke and Micky talk. Micky revealed he was a correspondent in Vietnam, and that he knew Luke's parents. Luke takes that revelation rather well.

Luke angrily reminds Micky that he may have known Luke's parents, but he does NOT know him. Yeesh, what was his problem? I think Micky knowing Luke's parents would've made for some interesting character moments, and allow the reader to learn a little more about Cage's past and family. I don't think that was ever explored in the series. A real shame. They arrive at the airstrip, and Hardcore greets them with a manriki to the rotors.

Is...is Hardcore wearing lipstick in that panel? It's probably a coloring goof, but if not...to each their own, I guess. Although I personally imagined him to be more of the black lipstick type. The manriki somehow makes the helicopter blow up, but Micky and Cage managed to get out of the helicopter just in time. They made a mighty leap, and the ground broke their fall.

Micky realizes that Hardcore was the one who caused the copter's destruction (how did he know that?), Micky tries to convince Cage to back off, saying the paper will still have its story, and they will still pay him. Cage presses on, saying he was paid to do a job, and he's going to get it done.

Something happens to Angel and Hardcore's jeep, the art doesn't really explain. They realize it's Cage. Hardcore tries to run him down, quoting Longfellow. Cage slams into the jeep, causing it to crash, luckily not detonating the explosives in the back. Hardcore is not out of the fight, though. He attacks, trying to choke out Cage with his manriki. He then explains that he has a gift from the Japanese...

Yeah, Hardcore is definitely wearing lipstick. That can't be a coloring error. We saw that in a previous panel.

Anyway, he explains that the nails on one of his hands are diamond-tipped, allowing his nails to cut steel...or steel-hard skin. Can diamond actually cut steel? I did a Google search, and it turns out that synthetic diamonds can cut steel. Kudos to this comic, then. The panel shows he only did this stuff with one hand. I wonder why? Anyway, Hardcore shows that he can hurt Cage with his fancy fingernails. I'm betting Hardcore doesn't have a nail-biting habit because in his case, I bet it's expensive.

Hardcore taunts Cage by calling him Power Man, which he dislikes, and Cage feeds him a fist in response. He then spots Angel trying to flee. However, Micky leaps into the jeep, much to Cage's chagrin. He then gets attacked by Hardcore, who explains he was able to take Cage's blow thanks to his "kinetic Kevlar" vest. He then twirls his explosive manriki, giving Cage a choice: Keep fighting him, or save his friends. It's not much of a choice. No matter what Cage does, Hardcore still can pitch his manriki.

Cage decides to take a third option. He rips some asphalt out of the ground, and Hardcore pitches the manriki. Cage tosses his boulder and intercepts it, causing an explosion.

Meanwhile, Micky punches out Angel, who causes the jeep to accelerate as he falls out of it, and Micky bails out. Cage tried to go after the fleeing Hardcore, but the man throws some capsules at Cage's wounds, quoting Dobson.

Cage grabs a bazooka, and uses it to shoot down Hardcore's plane. The fight continues, and Cage realizes that Hardcore tends to avoid close quarters combat, preferring to use his long-rage weaponry like his various projectiles and manriki.

The explosive-laden jeep barrels towards them, and makes some planes explode, which somehow causes the explosion of Angel's airfield.

Later, Cage is checked out, and he's alright, his jacket helped deflect the worst of Hardcore's abuse. One tough jacket. And he did not get his bulletproof one yet. Analisa is unhappy with how things turned out, saying that Cage's dense-headedness caused things to go to this point. Micky stands up for him, saying he did some good, and Angel was stopped.

Micky then makes a deal with Cage: The Chicago Spectator will advertise and promote his business, and he gives them exclusive coverage of his cases. Cage agrees to the deal.

The next day, in St.Croix, Virgin Islands, A figure grabs a skull a la Hamlet with Yorick's skull, and tells Hardcore that he failed in his mission to take out Angel and get his money. Hardcore argues he hasn't, and gets smacked by a mook, only to somehow get slashed in the back. Hardcore says he'll deal with Angel later, and makes a remark about the "Cage objective", which was not the man's target. He said that that plan required Cage to be broken, but thanks to the Angel incident, Cage is able to get a foothold on things.

Hardcore argues that the bonds he builds can be cut, while casually killing the mook.

Cage #1 is...well, it's alright, but it's not one of Cage's best adventures. What the Chicago Spectator is doing here could be rather unethical for a newspaper. Hardcore is a pretty neat villain, though. It does have a lot of action, and it does set up Cage's new status quo for the time, so it does do its job as a first issue. The art's storytelling is a bit confusing to follow at times. I found myself scratching my head a couple of times, trying to figure out what I was looking at. The comic is good in that "mindless action film" kind of way, but that's about it, really. I would only get this if you find it dirt cheap in the back issue bins, and/or you want to complete your collection of the character's appearances. Or if you're in the mood to read a comic with some action.

Next time, we return to Earth-712, and watch the Squadron Supreme try to fix their world...

Iron Fist Trailer, My Thoughts

A new trailer for the Iron Fist Netflix series is here! This was quite a surprise to me, so I thought I'd give it a looksee!

The trailer begins with Danny Rand in the big ol' City that Never Sleeps. It's been about 15 years since the magical martial arts land of K'un-Lun took him in and raised him into the living weapon he now is. The Immortal Iron Fist has come home at last.

It's pretty funny how this trailer starts. Poor Danny introduces himself to the secretary of his family's company, only for a couple of guards to try and throw him out. They try, anyway. Speaking of Rand Enterprises, what is it exactly that they do? What do they specialize in? Pharmaceuticals? Aerospace? Manufacturing shuriken?

Anyway, the guards try to throw him out, but they get their butts handed to them. Rand is next seen in an elevator. Yeah, Danny, way to not look like a desperate crazy man.

We next get glimpses of his origin, and his return to civilization. It's very remisicient of Tony Stark in the first Iron Man movie blended with a bit of Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins. We also see him interact a bit with Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing. I'm hoping she meets Simone Messick's Misty Knight and they get a detective agency spin-off together. Daughters of the Dragon, the next Netflix/Marvel smash hit right there!

We also see Danny kick butt. I expect lots of butt-kicking in this series.

There's some brief flashes of Danny's training in K'un-Lun. Clever nod here, we do briefly see his gi is yellow-and-green. Nice.

David Wenham then appears as Robert Meachum, who was a partner of Danny's parents. Yeah, he caused their deaths in the comics, so it's safe to assume that he's a bad guy here. There's a woman in shadow telling him there's no place for Danny Rand. I think it's possible that here, Meachum is a flunky for a Bigger Bad. Some bigger is going down.

Hey, it's Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple! She's the Netflix Nick Fury, bringing the future Defenders together. Heck, her speech here is in the vein of Nick Fury's speech as to why he brought the Avengers together.

What are those songs in the trailer? They're great.

Was that Madame Gao from Daredevil at 1:27? If that is, I wonder what role she has here. Hmm, it's all connected indeed. She's probably thinking, "First that Devil in Hell's Kitchen, now this guy. For Pete's sake..."

Lots of fighting footage, which is good. And the Iron Fist itself is awesome, the way it glows. I think we may also get a little romantic tension between Danny and Colleen here. Interesting, but I was kind of hoping that it's be between Danny and Misty Knight, as they were a couple in the comics.

Claire, what does the Iron Fist mean? It means if he punches someone with it, the recipient will be hurting.

This trailer was fun to watch! Loved seeing all the action in it! Can't wait for this series, and the upcoming Defenders! Bring it on!

New Logan Trailer, My Thoughts

What is one thing the Super Bowl is known for? The game itself? The insane half-time shows? The commercials? Well, yeah. But among the commercials this year were new trailers. One was for Hugh Jackman's supposedly final appearance as Wolverine. The film is called Logan. And it has a new trailer! Since this is a Red Band Trailer, I have to warn you, this will contain some brutality and cursing. And you can look here for my thoughts on the last Logan trailer.

The trailer begins with a little girl (It's X-23) in a convenience store taking a can of Pringles and eating them. She then takes what might be some soda or energy drink. Finally, she helps herself to a pair of pink sunglasses. The clerk is understandably not happy with little Laura Kinney's five-finger discount shopping. She flees, he cuts her off, and she judo flips him and gets ready to punch him in the throat. Logan then stops this and tells her what she's doing is NOT OKAY, and then leaves...after taking some jerky. Dude, you could've at least left some money for the stuff X-23 took. Jerk.

One part of the trailer made me chuckle. Logan with the X-Men comic book. He says it was mostly inaccurate. In his time, the X-Men didn't wear costumes that were colorful. What I'd like to know is...how did that work, exactly? Did the X-Men license out their brand to a comic company? Did they have a PR agent? How did that work, exactly?

Logan is then encountered by a blond man with glasses. As I said before, I believe this man is Donald Pierce, and his men are basically his Reavers. He demands the girl, Logan's like, "Who?", and Pierce ain't in the mood for Logan's denials, so he has Logan get beat up and sends some men to get her. However, X-23 is enjoying her morning Corn Flakes, and everyone knows you do NOT bother X-23 when she is eating her Corn Flakes.

The moment were we get to finally get a glimpse of X-23's claws was awesome. And Logan's reaction was great. It was like he realized, "Oh God, she IS my kid!"

What is the song in this trailer? It's a cool song.

Logan tells X-23 that he's not what she thinks he is. Which leads me to wonder what exactly what he thinks X-23 sees him as. In X-Men: Evolution, she blamed Wolverine for her rough life and wanted revenge. What does Laura Kinney see him as here?

The trailer ends with lots of footage of Logan in action, but among it is a moment of him and Laura holding hands, aww. Xavier gets a HILARIOUS line at the end. Poor man just wants some sleep and some food.

This was a neat trailer, and it has a nice mix of funny, action, and sweet moments. This movie sounds like it will be a lot of fun to watch.

Amazing Spider-Man #68 (January 1969)

It's time for some web-slinging action, my friends! That's right, folks! We're going to take a look at an issue of a comic that focuses on one of my favorite superheroes: Spider-Man.

To me, Spider-Man is one of Marvel's greats, a man who never gives up and keeps on going, no matter how things are stacked against him. That's why I like him. That, and he makes jokes when punching bad guys. He's fun.

The comic I'm going to look at was made during a very interesting time in Spider-Man's history. Stan Lee was still writing the title in 1969, but Steve Ditko had left the book through circumstances that have ever really been revealed, although the main theory was that he and Lee couldn't agree on a lot of things. Artist John Romita Sr. was brought in in his place, and the title looked better than ever. Romita's take on Spidey would be the take on the character for about twenty years.

This is also an interesting choice in issue, as it was part of a bigger saga, involving the crime boss Silvermane, and his search for a way to become young again, which ended up getting adapted into the Spider-Man animated series in the mid-90s. Pretty neat! But for right now, let's see Spidey deal with the Crisis on Campus!

The cover is very well-drawn, depicting Spider-Man swinging over a group of protestors. It's a nice tease of what is in the issue, if a bit misleading.

"Crisis on the Campus"
Writer: Stan Lee
Artists: John Romita Sr. (credited as Johnny Romita), Jim Mooney
Letterer: Sammy Rosen

The issue begins with the Kingpin and his men looking at an image of a clay tablet projected on a wall.

Wilson Fisk is determined to get his big hands on the tablet, and he is told it's on display at the Empire State University campus. Kingpin thinks he'll have an easy time getting the tablet, but one of his men reminds him it's under heavy guard, and Spider-Man is often seen in the area. Kingpin...takes this rather well.

He decides it's time for his daily workout, and challenges a group of men to attack him all at once. Fisk smashes his way through the men, ranting and raving about how powerful he is.

After thoroughly wrecking the men, Kingpin fires them, and demands a larger crew for his next workout. He vows that he and Spider-Man will have their "final reckoning" when they next meet. Yeah, I think we can safely say that Wilson Fisk is not a member of the Spider-Man fan club.

The scene then shifts to Spider-Man swinging back to his dorm room, feeling dejected. After his last battle with Mysterio, he has no pictures of it to sell to J. Jonah Jameson, so he's got no money. There's a bit of a funny moment with him trying to get back in.

The next day, Peter Parker is moping about his financial problems, when he gets introduced to a new friend: Randy Robertson, the son of Joe Robertson.

The two get off on a good foot, and Peter is approached by a man named Josh. Josh asks Peter his thoughts about the exhibition issue. Peter say he has no idea what that's about. Josh explains that after the exhibition of the ancient clay tablet is over, the hall it's being shown in will be used as a private dorm for visiting alumni. Peter recalls that it's supposed to be for students. Josh says he's been petitioning for the college to use the hall as a dorm for more financially-strapped students, reasoning the rich alumni can use hotels. So, Josh and Randy are planning a protest.

Peter then gets a surprise: Gwen Stacy is on campus!

The scene then shifts to the Daily Bugle. J. Jonah Jameson is being his usual pleasant self, grousing to Robbie Robertson about Peter not getting any pictures of Spider-Man's last battle with Mysterio. Robbie, always the reasonable one of the two-man act, says he should be grateful Parker shows up and sells him pictures at all, considering how Jonah treats him, which leads to this funny panel:

Yeah, I doubt it's intentional, but the way that Jameson's eyes are drawn here, makes it look like he's about to completely go bonkers. He storms out, which leaves Robbie alone to ponder his thoughts...and worries about Randy. He worries about his son, like any good dad.

We next see Peter and Gwen go to meet Aunt May, who was at this time, living with Mary Jane's aunt Anna Watson. Aunt May is ill...yeah, in the early days of Spider-Man, Aunt May was possibly the world's frailest old lady. Seriously, you could've left the door open in summertime and she would've gotten a massive cold. They hang with her with a bit and leave. Anna notices May looks a little pale, and asks why she didn't get a doctor. May explains she didn't want to spoil Gwen and Peter's happiness...okay?

The next day, Peter arrives on campus, and finds a big protest going down.

Josh and Randy encourage Peter to get more people to join the protest, so they can march on the exhibition hall. Peter is still a little lost, and Josh explains that they are protesting "The Establishment" getting the hall. Peter wants to know what the dean thinks, but Josh says he isn't buying what the Dean is saying. Peter decides not to get involved, and Josh calls him a chicken.

Peter walks into the hall, where in his thoughts, he admits he does agree with the protestors about the dorm issue, he just didn't like Josh pushing him. He notices the guarded tablet, and wonders why the dean is so obstinate about the decision to not make the hall into low-rent dorms.

The protest begins, and Josh encourages everyone there to take over the hall to get the attention of the media. They charge in, and the Bugle is on it. Robbie Robertson sees this on TV and goes to cover it.

The Kingpin also notices this, and decides to use the protest as a cover to obtain the tablet. Back at ESU, things are getting tense. The protestors are angry, and the guards are worried. Josh gets the idea to steal the tablet and essentially hold it for ransom. Both Randy and Peter rightly think that's a BAD idea. One of the guards pulls a gun in a threatening gesture, and Peter is worried that a riot will break out.

As long as he is there, Peter decides to get some pictures for Jameson, as he could use the money. The Kingpin's car arrives at ESU, staying out of sight. The Kingpin waits for the distraction to begin.

The explosion goes off, and Kingpin and his boys take advantage of the chaos to get the tablet. This part of the comic kind of bothers me. I get that Kingpin would want to make sure his boys get the tablet without damaging it or anything like that, but wouldn't it be really risky, if not downright stupid, for Fisk HIMSELF to be there? I mean, I can imagine even at this time, he was a public figure. People know what he looks like. There's a chance that someone will catch sight of him and recognize him. And that most likely did happen when we continue on here.

Kingpin and his men burst into the building, in front of a whole bunch of students. Yup, Fisk just exposed himself and possibly his entire criminal empire. Yeah, Wilson Fisk at this point was not the smartest criminal mastermind. In a minor funny moment, Fisk shoves Peter aside, and for a moment, senses something special about him.

Peter deduces he's after the tablet, because of course. He changes into Spidey, and swings into action.

You know, the Kingpin never kept that blaster cane for very long. You'd think considering his later battles with Daredevil, he'd want to keep that around. I do get why it was likely dropped, considering the Kingpin was later revamped into a more realistic crime boss, but considering that he is a world with super-powered heroes, such a weapon may come in handy.

Spidey and Kingpin get into a brawl, Fisk showing that his strength and fighting skills allow him to keep up with the webhead, despite Peter's own superior strength and agility. Randy Robertson tries to help, but gets swatted away for his trouble.

Stick to running away, Randy. Spidey nails the Kingpin with some spider-powered blows, then goes to check on Randy. However, Fisk gets to his blaster cane and blasts the wall. Spidey tries to swing himself and Randy away, but the rubble from the former wall buries them. Fisk gets the tablet and makes a run for it.

Spidey and Randy turn out to be okay, and Spidey swings away as the cops arrive. Due to the earlier explosion, the cops believe the protesters were connected to it, and make some arrests, including Randy and Josh. Spidey lets the cops handle the mess, as he has a fat man to chase.

This comic is...honestly, I've read better than this issue. It's kind of...meh. The Kingpin here is a complete bonehead. You'd think that, being the man he is, and being in the position he is in, he'd at the very least be smart enough to not accompany his men to the retrieval of the clay tablet. You'd never see this from Frank Miller's Kingpin. The comic does have a meh story, but it does have some positives. The art is well-done, and the Spider-Man/Kingpin fight was pretty good. It also does set up a possible Aunt May story (probably she's just really sick again), and it ends with a bang.

I would only get this issue if it is collected in a trade. I got this in Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks: Volume 8. I'm not sure if it was put in any Epic Collections yet.

Next time, it's February, it's Black History Month, so we'll take a look at a Luke Cage comic!

Beauty and the Beast Trailer, My Thoughts

The Walt Disney company has been on a bit of a kick with the live-action remakes of their animated classics. Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Pete's Dragon, and I've been hearing one for Mulan is in the works. As such, it doesn't really surprise me that the animated film that is considered the very best of the Disney Animated Canon would get this treatment. That film? Beauty and the Beast.

To be honest, I am still a little confused as to the point of this. Why make a live-action remake of an animated film? Especially if the animated film is...quite hard to top. It was the first animated film to win a Golden Globe, and the first to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. This film's got quite a shadow over it.

My thoughts on the animated film? Well, I do remember watching the film a couple times, and it did grow on me, but back in the day, it wasn't one  Anyway, here's the trailer.

The first thing I have noticed with this trailer is that it has a very colorful look to it, which is rather nice. Reminds me of the original film in a way. I also like that we see Emma Watson in an outfit that resemble the original's. I think we get the impression here that she is a bit of a local schoolteacher based on the scene with the young girl.

This bit with Gaston talking to the mirror and Belle's reaction made me chuckle. No one loves himself more than Gaston.

It seems this film will follow the basic plotline of the original Disney movie, which makes sense. Although I am hoping they do some things a little differently. Having it completely word-for-word and beat-for-beat would make this whole thing kind of pointless.

Got a look at the new Beast. He looks...okay. We meet the new Lumiere, and Lumiere actually looks pretty cool. We also got a brief glimpse of Cogsworth, and I have to admit, the new Cogsworth really ruins my attempt to make a "emerged from a steampunk Hell" joke. We also get to see brief glimpses of Mrs. Potts and Chip. I like that they kept Chip's...chip. I know some people will complain about the CGI, but I think you'd have a lot of trouble pulling off the talking teapot and teacup with practical. Just sayin'.

And it would not be a Disney film without a musical number or two. It just would not.

Who is singing this cover? It's pretty good.

I do like the brief glimpse of Belle and the Beast in what look like duplicates of their outfits from the ballroom scene. Gotta admit, the outfits look great in live action.

What did I think of this trailer? Well, it was certainly pretty to look at. I have to admit, I never really had a lot of interest in this movie. I'm not against Disney doing this, as hey, it'll make them some money. I am a bit curious as to the thought process that led up to this, though. Also, for me, Beauty and the Beast wasn't one of the Disney films I had to watch. It never stuck with me like Great Mouse Detective or Hunchback of Notre Dame did. Still, it was a neat trailer to watch, and I hope it turns out well.