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Samurai Jack #10

/ / Comics

Samurai Jack #10Constantly defeated by Samurai Jack‘s prowess in battle, Aku decides to change tactics and attack the samurai’s mind in the latest issue of the IDW series. Taking various forms and disrupting Jack’s childhood memories, at first Aku wins several small victories, but the master of shape shifting darkness soon finds out just how mentally strong his adversary is as well.

The story from writer Jim Zub focuses on the mental strength of the time-displaced hero offering several moments of levity once Samurai Jack’s unconscious begins fighting back against Aku’s attempts to destroy the samurai’s mind.

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Hercules

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Hercules (2014)
  • IMDb: link

HerculesBased on the comic book mini-series from writer Steve Moore and artist Admira Wijaya, Hercules removes the myth and legend of the figure choosing to cast Hercules (Dwayne “It’s Okay to Call Me The Rock Again” Johnson) as a weary nomadic mercenary rather than the true son of Zeus (although he certainly trades on the legend for his own profit) well after completing his legendary 12 labors. With a band of loyal warriors around him, Hercules’ legend has grown over time as his exploits have been exaggerated to the point that everyone believes the mythic warrior to be the unstoppable son of a god.

Director Brett Ratner‘s film reminds me a little of Antoine Fuqua‘s King Arthur which similarly removed the mythical trappings and magic surrounding a legendary figure in an attempt to focus on the man behind the legend and those closest to him. Hercules may not be as successful as Arthur, but The Rock is perfectly cast in the role and Ratner surrounds him with a strong supporting cast and impressive effects for a B-movie that’s better than expected.

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Guardians of the Galaxy

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Guardians of the Galaxy
  • IMDb: link

“What a bunch of a-holes.”

Guardians of the GalaxyChoosing to go where no Marvel film has gone before, Guardians of the Galaxy not only opens the door to the wider Marvel Universe among the stars but also introduces some of Marvel Studios most memorable characters. I’ve been a fan of the current team since they got together back in 2008, but I had serious doubts about how well Marvel could incorporate a group of space misfits who include thieves, killers, a genetically-enhanced raccoon, and talking tree into a mainstream sci-fi/action film.

I’ve been less impressed by James Gunn‘s body of work up until this point than most (sorry, I’m just not a fan of Slither), but the co-writer/director proves to be the right choice to juggle the various bizarre elements of the script while infusing it with an offbeat sense of humor which fits the characters and cast well. There are some groanworthy moments here or there, such as having Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) dance for the film’s baddie Ronan (Lee Pace), but thankfully they are few and far between as Gunn makes most of the right calls in dealing the team of oddball heroes.

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Super Secret Crisis War #1

/ / Comics

Super Secret Crisis War #1IDW’s big Cartoon Network crossover begins here as villains Aku, Mojo Jojo, Vilgax, and Mandark band together with an evil plan to send robot warriors to capture their enemies Samurai Jack, Ben Tennyson, Dexter, and Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttecup.

The first issue allows the various villains and heroes to each have their moments to shine (although I would have liked more Mojo) while also setting up a scenario where the various heroes’ realms are all now unprotected. The villains also accidentally send robots to several other worlds leading to the capture of Ed, Edd, and Eddy (where the story begins to falter a bit) and setting up the various other one-shots over the next six months beginning with Johnny Bravo.

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Samurai Jack #9

/ / Comics

Samurai Jack #9“Villainous Vortex” pits Samurai Jack against a gravity-manipulating machine which, not surprisingly, turns out to be controlled by the evil that is Aku. Samurai Jack #9 delivers a fun story featuring Jack in action against one of Aku’s mechanical soldiers, but for the second straight issue the comic gives us no character interaction between Jack and anyone else. It’s not a bad thing, but I think it would be very easy to see the comic fall into that template that ignores one of the strengths of the television show which spawned it.

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