I’m going to get some static for this one, but it is my opinion that the WWE world heavyweight championship reign of Seth Rollins, so far, has been flat, dull, and a repetitive loop of the same old song and dance we’ve already seen. Continue reading “Seth Rollins is a Poor Man’s Randy Orton”
Planet Hulk #1 | Writers: Sam Hunphries, Greg Pak | Artists: Marc Laming, Takeshi Miyazawa, Leonard Kirk | Colorist: Jordan Boyd, Rachelle Rosenberg, Tamra Bonvillain | Publisher: Marvel Comics | Price: $4.99 |
Sam Hunphries and Greg Pak hit comic book fans with a pretty snazzy 1-2 punch as they implement the beloved story arc of Planet Hulk into Marvel’s current big event, Secret Wars.
The other part of the combination deals with a gladiator Steve Rogers and his trusty steed in the form of a giant red t-Rex, Devil Dinosaur kicking ass and taking names.
I couldn’t help but notice the bump up in price compared to the other Secret Wars tie-in books. The book is certainly thicker, but does it add up in the realm of content? Of course, all things in Battleworld leads back to Doctor Doom, who is now referred to as God Doom.
Seeing a beaten down Steve Rogers being forced down at the feet of Doom harkens back to Secret Wars circa 1984. Doom obtained ultimate power in that outing, and Rogers got into his head by turning his own hubris against him.
Their interaction in this current state of affairs dropped some hints about whether or not Doom remembers everything before Marvel’s version of the big bang. It would make sense considering he is the shot caller, but many of the characters remember bits and traces of their past without realizing what it really means.
Enough about Doom and Rogers, though. The book is called Planet Hulk, and you want to hear about how they wreck shop and cause total destruction. Greenland is the name of this Gamma-infested region that has been carved out for Hulk-like beings.
Sam Humphries sets things up nicely by establishing how dangerous this place is as it is conveyed to be the most feared place in Battleworld.
Greg Pak writes a nice little back story that shows life in Greenland before, well, it turned green. The cover had a retro sixties vibe, which almost seemed like a gag at first.
However, even though Battleworld is a bastardization of reality, these are still real people who live their lives until things took a turn for the worst. Pak’s gives Planet Hulk perspective through this origin story.
Most of the time, tie-in books fail to add any real depth to the overarching story they are trying to enhance. While it would have been nice to see more of Planet Hulk in its current form, Humphries did a great job of establishing everyone’s role where green goliaths appear to play background noise to a much larger issue at hand.
Score: 4 out of 5
“The NXT Women alone are worth more than $9.99.” Lance Storm
Any wrestling fan worth their salt logged on to the WWE Network on Wednesday evening and watched NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable. It was a great night of action and excitement that culminated with the debut of former TNA star Samoa Joe. While Joe’s arrival means a plethora of dream matches for the energetic brand, the women’s championship match featuring Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch stole the show.
In fact, they didn’t just steal show, they flat out hijacked it at point blank range. Continue reading “The Ladies Prove Unstoppable in NXT and Hopefully Beyond”
What appeared to be another U.S. open challenge suddenly turned into a much more exciting affair as the guitar riffs of the CFO$ song, “Fight”, coursed through the sound system of the Richmond Coliseum. For some, it was an audible invasion of the unknown. For others, it was familiarity at its finest as Kevin Owens unexpectedly emerged on Monday Night Raw. Continue reading “The WWE Debut of Kevin Owens”
Secret Wars #2 | Writer: Jonathan Hickman | Artist: Esad Ribic | Colorist: Ive Svorcina | Cover: Alex Ross | Publisher: Marvel Comics | Price: $4.99
Enter Battleworld, a new plane of existence somehow created in the wake of the Marvel universe’s destruction. It’s a crazy, dark place where the characters we know have new lives and have taken on radically different roles. A seemingly medieval symmetry encapsulates the motif and lifeblood of this realm.
Various families and houses squabble, politic, and plot to expand their dominion under the watchful eye of one supreme monarch. While there are certainly no songs of fire and ice, I got the impression that winter is coming. Continue reading “Secret Wars #2 Review”
The UFC makes its debut in the Philippines this Saturday as Frankie Edgar, and Urijah Faber will tango in the main event. While the card boasts what should be some fun fights, the five-round featherweight attraction between the two former WEC and UFC champions could very well be MMA’s version of the Thrilla in Manila.
Fight night is a term that encapsulates the evening’s combative festivities. However, this event has the unusual distinction of airing in the early a.m. to compensate for the twelve-hour time difference. One would wonder why such a big fight would be booked for this particular show, but the UFC’s aggressive push in the Asian market probably answers that question. Continue reading “Calling The Shots: Frankie Edgar vs. Urijah Faber”
Break out that big ’ol cage! The Elimination Chamber returns as an exclusive WWE Network offering on May 31. This will be the second pay-per-view this month, and will most likely overshadow this Sunday’s Payback event since the event often produces a fun night of wrestling with some memorable moments.
It was reported by the Wrestling Observer that almost nobody watches the older content (I do), so there is no rush to add more of it. However, the most popular offerings happen to be the newer stuff, such as monthly pay-per-views, network specials, and NXT. Last week, Chris Jericho’s interview with Stephanie McMahon was one of the most watched shows. Continue reading “WWE Network Revives The Elimination Chamber”
My wife and I took in some superhero action as Avengers: Age of Ultron kicks off another summer movie season. The film under Joss Whedon’s direction showcased a lot of style and substance, although it lacks in some areas. Some of the diluted elements were easy to ignore, while others were kind of a head-scratcher. Continue reading “Avengers: Age of Ultron Review”
Secret Wars #1 | Writer: Jonathan Hickman | Artist: Esad Ribic | Colorist: I’ve Svoricina | Cover: Alex Ross | Publisher: Marvel Comics | Price: $4.99 | From my column at Forces of Geek.com
Time has officially run out. Only two worlds remain.
This is the story that Jonathan Hickman has been building towards since Avengers #1 and New Avengers #1 kicked off the Marvel NOW initiative back in December 2012 and January 2013. Hickman has done something special here as he’s weaved a story that is easy to appreciate regardless of whether you’ve been keeping up with his Avengers’ books or jumped right into the deep end without knowing how to navigate the waters of this universe-ending event.
Secret Wars has been synonymous with Marvel comics since the inaugural series carrying that name occurred in 1984. The Mattel action figures based on the story coincided with the release of the famed limited series. There have been other limited runs using the name, but this 2015 edition promises to change everything……and it does! Continue reading “Secret Wars #1 Review”
The Montréal faithful were loud in their disapproval of John Cena as they sang “John Cena sucks” to the tune of his entrance music. The U.S. open challenge was laid out on foreign soil as chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole,” filled the Bell Centre, foreshadowing a pending arrival. Much to everyone’s surprise, the legendary Bret Hart came out to introduce “a great wrestler.” The people slid to the edge of their seats with baited breath as Sami Zayn emerged from behind the curtain. Continue reading “Raw Is In-Zayn”
RingsideLogic.com 