Suits – Pilot
- Title: Suits – Pilot
- tv.com: link
Suits is one of the new slate of shows USA Network has premiering this year. The “Pilot” shows promise, but also quite a lot of room for improvement.
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2.5 Razors
Avengers #14
- Title: Avengers #14
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
- Artist: John Romita Jr
This Fear Itself tie-in has quite a bit going for it, but in the end doesn’t quite work when it asks the reader to care about a character that’s only slightly less ridiculous than Rocket Racer. The entire issues centers around the retelling of the Red Hulk‘s battle with Hammertime Ben Grimm outside of Avengers Tower.
The fight itself works well, as does the opening capturing the uncertainty of the other members of the team at Steve Rogers‘ choice to make Red Hulk an Avenger. What doesn’t quite work is the apparent (i.e. not really) end of the Red Hulk at the hands of the possessed Thing.
I don’t mind the elevated nature as the heroes say kind words about the Red Hulk for apparently (but not really) giving his life in a futile cause, but given the level of reference displayed here you’d think they were talking about someone on the level of Captain America (all the more empty given the absence of any body foreshadowing that this isn’t the end of the character). Good idea. Bad execution. Hit-and-Miss.
[Marvel, $3.99]
Flashpoint: Abin Sur The Green Lantern #1
- Title: Flashpoint: Abin Sur The Green Lantern #1 (of 3)
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: Adam Schlagman
- Artist: Felipe Massafera
Of the first three tie-in Flashpoint mini-series to hit the shelves the one centered around Abin Sur is probably the best. Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance is passable, if a tad boring after a humorous beginning, and Flashpoint: Secret Seven is best left unspoken of.
There are a couple of interesting takeaways from this story. The first is that Abin Sur seems very much the maverick Green Lantern who only follows the orders he agrees with (remind you of anyone?). And the second is that the timeline of Sur’s crash on Earth at the end of this issue corresponds with Barry Allen‘s experiment in Flashpoint #2. Is the reality of Flashpoint about to get introduced to the DCU’s two premiere Silver Age heroes at the same time?
More of a novelty than anything else, this issue does give us Abin Sur knocking the snot out of his dear friend Sinestro. Sadly it also gives as an update that this reality is still stuck in the dark days of Blackest Night. Ugh, and I thought Emperor Aquaman was bad. Hit-and-Miss.
[DC, $2.99]
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Fear Itself #3 (of 7)
- Title: Fear Itself #3 (of 7)
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: Matt Fraction
- Artist: Stuart Immonen
Earth is going to Hell. The Gods of Asgard have abandoned the realm to return to Asgard and begin readying for a war whose first casualty will be the planet Earth. All across the world heroes and villains are picking up magic hammers and becomes mindless slaves (or sometimes not, a little consistency please) to the All-Father of Fear.
However, none of that is what this issue, and it appears ultimately this entire mini-series, will be remembered for. We knew Marvel was going to find a way to get Steve Rogers back into the role of Captain America before Marvel’s big budget summer flick hit screens this summer. What we didn’t know was what would happen to Bucky Barnes. Now we do. And it’s not pretty.
After returning the character to the comics for the first time in decades and actually finding a way to make me care about Captain America’s former sidekick, Ed Brubaker isn’t even on hand when Marvel Comics and writer Matt Fraction decide to kill him at the hands of the Red Skull’s daughter. Sigh. It may be worth a look, but don’t expect it to be a pleasant one.
[Marvel, $3.99]
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The Mechanic
- Title: The Mechanic (2011)
- IMDb: link
Remakes, Hollywood’s second favorite shortcut (after sequels) for quickly churning out mediocre flicks. If I have seen the original 1972 film with Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent I don’t remember it. And there’s nothing in the remake that makes me think I’ve missed anything.
This version stars Jason Statham as hitman Arthur Bishop who takes on the son (Ben Foster) of a old friend (Donald Sutherland) he was forced to kill.
As action flicks go this version by director Simon West is average at best. There’s plenty of poor decision making and plot holes where the story is sacrificed for more action scenes. I also found the film’s main villain (played by Tony Goldwyn) to be rather bland. His near limitless supply of generic soldiers are even less memorable than he is. If a movie is only as good as its villain The Mechanic is pretty damn forgettable.
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