3 Razors

Stormwatch #5

/ / Comics

stormwatch-5-coverThe Earth may be safe but things aren’t looking any better for Stormwatch. The team’s leader, Adam One, is killed and abducted (in that order) by an Agent of the Shadow Cabinet and one of the team’s own will turn traitor and put all of their lives at risk.

The comic works best when it keeps the dialogue, especially the awkward conversations between Apollo and Midnighter, to a minimum. Thankfully the episode begins with tumult involving the newly chosen leader of the team and ends with a pretty good fight over multiple pages between the Midnighter and the Eminence of Blades.

Stormwatch isn’t a great comic but, at least for one more month, it’s done just enough to get me coming back to see where it’s headed. I want to see more of the Engineer, see Jenny Quantum grow into her role, and find out how the comic plans to use the Martian Manhunter. Despite some dreadful writing in spots (and some spotty art here and there) the final page cliffhanger will bring me back for issue #6. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Hawaii Five-0 – Ka Ho’Oponopono

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Hawaii Five-0 – Ka Ho’Oponopono
  • tv.com: link

hawaii-five-0-ka-ho-oponopno

Five-O is called into investigate when a high school junior is smothered to death in her own bedroom. The dead girl’s boyfriend (Blaise Embry) is the first suspect on the list, but when the team learns Emily stole $5,000 from her father (Clayton Norcross) shortly before her death the investigation takes an entirely new direction.

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Annihilators: Earthfall #4

/ / Comics

annihilators-earthfall-4-coverThe second Annihilators mini-series ends more with a whimper than a bang. I thought the main story stayed more interesting this time around (even without the Silver Surfer), as the Avengers and Annihilators banded together to stop the return of the Magnus and the rise of the Universal Church of Truth.

Although the two super-teams are able to work together its obvious the Avengers and the Annihilators have far different views on saving the day. Quasar hopes to keep his team in-check, but his final line to Captain America sure feels like none-to-subtle foreshadowing to me.

Sadly, poor Rocket Racoon and Groot‘s B-story with Mojo peters out in the few pages. If these mini-series are going to continue Rocket Racoon and Groot need to be given a bigger role, brought in on the main storyline, or given their own comic.

Much like the first mini-series Earthfall was fun, but not as good as I hoped it to be. Here’s hoping the next one knocks it out of the park (and gives us at least twice as much Rocket Racoon and Groot). I AM GROOT!

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Contagion

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Contagion
  • IMDB: link

contagion-blu-rayDirector Steven Soderbergh puts together an ensemble cast (Marion Cotillard, Elliott Gould, Demetri Martin, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Ehle, Enrico Colantoni) to give us his take on a worldwide pandemic that sweeps over the world in a matter of days. Sadly, it turns out he doesn’t have anything new to say. Contagion isn’t a bad film, but it’s exactly what you expect from this genre, nothing more.

Half of the film, centered around the search for the cure, plays out very much like Outbreak or The Andromeda Strain as the rest of the story centers the constant threat of violence as society self-destructs and devolves into anarchy (like The Road, 28 Days Later, or any number of post-apocalyptic films in recent years).

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Captain America #6

/ / Comics

captain-america-6-coverWe get not one but two issues of Captain America to end the year. The new story arc plays on the seeds planted in the last issue as Queen Hydra and Baron Zemo infect Captain America‘s mind with a psychological attack.

Capa’s nightmares are getting worse (now he’s even dreaming being powerless to stop D-list villains like Batroc). To help clear his head he takes Hawkeye up on an offer of patrolling together. The cracking skulls and fresh air do a world of good until they come upon a riot caused by a “Madbomb.”

The situation spirals further out of control as Cap’s nightmares are made when he’s de-powered back to his pre-Super Soldier Serum days and set up by three low level baddies that make Batroc look like a genuine threat.

I was totally on board with the comic having villains attack Cap’s mind rather than face him head on. I’m far less sure of Cap’s nightmares becoming manifest in the real world. On the plus side, the art by Alan Davis is a big improvement over the last issue. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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