CVSVGSD #2 Results

On Sunday, July 29th I pitted The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's main character, Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn against the demi-god from Asgard and Avenger, Thor. The votes are in, and it would seem that Skyrim is a very popular game, indeed:

I wish I could animate these battles but here's a summary. Dragonborn wore heavy armor and swung the heaviest warhammer available in the game. He called a thunderstorm and became invulnerable to Thor's lighting. He called a dragon to keep Thor grounded, threw him around with Unrelenting Force, froze him solid with frost breath and took him down with the Daedric Warhammer. Watch out Avengers, Dovahkiin is a force not easily reckoned with!

The next Comic vs. Video Game Showdown will be announced tomorrow. I've got a ton of these, and I really want everyone to get involved. Please take the 5 seconds it will take to cast your vote in the comments here, on twitter with @tommygamerblog and @thecomic blog or on facebook. Thanks!

Before Watchmen of July

The second month in to the controversial Before Watchmen series in now behind us. I did a quick review of each book in June, and now you get to read me do it again for July! I think we get how this works. Here is what we saw:

Ozymandias #1: There are very few words to say about this comic. Jae Lee's artwork in this comic was astonishing. As soon as I picked the book up I was hooked. As you would expect a comic about the smartest man in the world it was a pretty heavy read at times. But I'm not going to complain. The art and script married perfectly and went on a their honeymoon. Although a lot of what was covered in this comic was touched on in the original Watchmen, it was great to see it elaborated on. This was my favorite book in the series so far. Script 10/10 Art 10/10

Minutemen #2: I really wanted to like it as much as the first, but the art had some inconsistencies that bothered me. I think Cooke is trying to match his style to the original series, but some of it seemed a bit rushed. Some of the humor was a bit cliche, but I think it is because it is set so much further behind than the other books in Before Watchmen. Overall though, the story is progressing, maybe a bit slower than I would normally like, but it's heading in the right direction. Script 8/10 Art 7/10

Silk Spectre #2: Was as well done as the first. It's goes deeper into the hippy and drug culture that she got herself mixed up in, and the origin of how she really started fighting crime. There are some cameos of some big stars from the 60's, and it was cool to see how they incorporated real history into the fiction. The art is stunning, bright and colorful and nails the mood on the head. Script 9/10 Art 9/10

Comedian #2: just as I found in the first one, the story is a bit jumpy to me, tries to be discreet and cover a lot of ground at the same time. And even though I know Comedian was the type of guy who had a lot of one-liners and such, I think it was a bit played up in this one. It was like a big show. But I can't really blame Azzarello, Comedian had a lot of coverage in Watchmen. Trying to add history that no one has read before can be a bit challenging. And that's the sort of thing that will only fuel the fires of the ones in opposition of Before Watchmen. It could be said that since there is so much fluff here, the series is not needed. But, the art is phenomenal and the story, although fluffy, is taking us down the right path, I hope. Script 8/10 Art 9/10

Comic vs. Video Game showdown #2 7/29/12

The second in my weekly installment of Comic vs. video game showdown, the brawl where we pit two characters, who would normally never meet, against each other. Their strengths, weaknesses and special abilities are taken into account. But I need you to vote for who you want to win, and if you can, tell me why you chose the character you did. Without further ado: (slight spoiler ahead)

 From the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, the hero of the world, born of dragons blood, Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn himself versus Thor, the demi-god of thunder from Asgard.


Dovahkiin is Dragonborn, born with dragons blood in his veins, carries an unusual ability, one that dragons themselves carry: he can speak words of power into existence. There are words in the dragon tongue to summon thunder storms, a flying dragon, fire breath, ice breath, an unrelenting invisible force, an incredible dash, a sap on life force, and slowing down time to name a few. He has above average strength, and for the sake of this fight, he will wear what my Dovahkiin wears, heavy Daedric armor, swings a heavy two-handed warhammer, and also possesses destruction and healing magic. He has conquered the most powerful dragon of all time, the world eating Alduin. His is a force to be reckoned with.

Thor also has a unique ability: he is the only one who can use the hammer of Thor. He has god-like strength, has the ability to fly and can summon lighting and thunder storms. He swings his hammer with destructive force, and throws it just as hard. He can call his hammer back to him when thrown, and as stated before, is the only one who can lift it. He will not be taken easily.

So, who do you think can win? Comment on this post to vote, or follow @tommygamerblog and @thecomicblog and reply to tweets under the hashtag #comicvsvideogameshowdown to vote. The winner will be announced on Saturday!

Showdown: Batman vs Link results 7/28/12

The showdown between Batman and Link from the Legend of Zelda has ended. I wouldn't be lying if I said I thought it would have been a much closer result. Batman was certainly the fan favorite, but Link stood a real good chance against him. Over the years, Link has faced many foes. From Flying dragons, sea serpents, giant spiders, ghosts, phantoms, giant wild boars, and the most evil enemy of all time Ganondorf. Batman has been around much much longer, and has faced many difficult situations. Physical and psychological villains alike, Batman has faced giant brutes and his darkest fears.  I was really rooting for Link in this fight:

But it would seem that Batman's popularity has won this fight. Link only received two votes, one of which was mine. Despite being faster and more agile than Batman, and having the master sword and hylian shield, he was no match for Batman's combat training and brute strength.

The next showdown is going to be a good one! I've got a ton of matchups already written out, so stay tuned on twitter with @thecomicblog and @tommygamerblog and of course, right here! Thanks to everyone that took part, let's get this thing going even further!

Comic vs. Video Game Showdown 7/23/2012

This week is the first of many weeks I will be featuring a Comic book character versus a video game character. Trying to create even match-ups isn't as easy as it sounds, but I've come up with 30 so far. I will be posting weekly via this blog, and my two twitter accounts @tommygamerblog and @thecomicblog and asking for votes. You can vote by replying to the blog post, or by replying to the twitter post hashtagged #comicvsvideogameshowdown. Are you ready for the first of many show downs?

The Legend of Zelda's Hero of Time himself, Link. He has been equipped with many different tools and weapons over the years, but for the sake of this contest we'll stick to the main ones: Gale Boomerang, Bombs, Bow and Arrow, Hookshot, Master Sword, and Hylian Shield. He carry's a lot of ranged weaponry, including explosives, but also the Master Sword for melee, and the Hylian shield for defense. He's very agile, good at dodging attacks, and quick between making attacks. He may not be strong, but he makes up for strength in agility.

Gotham city's hero, the dark knight himself, Batman. He's a rich guy with lots of tools and weapons, and years of combat training. For the sake of this contest he will be equipped with Batarangs, Explosive gel, Bat-hook, and of course, his suit, which also acts as a weapon in some cases. He is fast, powerful, and extremely intelligent.

So, who will win and why? I want to hear your thoughts! Results will be announced after votes are taken on Saturday, and next weeks match-up will be announced next monday. Let's GO!

Review of Before Watchmen: June

I met DC's controversial Before Watchmen series with open arms. Many people didn't. To each their own, but I'm just jotting down my honest thoughts of BF thus far, feel free to disagree. I base my reviews of comics based on a few things. 1) Artwork. Is it sloppy? Is it clean? 2) Story. Do I find myself scratching my head at every page? Am I compelled to continue reading this series? Are any emotions stirred inside my cold dark heart while I read? 3) Do the art and story match up? Is the art amazing and the story dull? Is the story compelling but the art convoluted? Now you know my guidelines, let us continue.

The first strike, Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1
Honestly, this was the one series I was least excited for. Was being the key word. I will tell you I was most excited for Nite Owl, Rorschach, and Dr. Manhattan. After all is said and done, I might have to rearrange them. Minutemen was drawn simply, yet sophisticated. The story was well drawn out, each character was given pretty equal page-time. It wasn't rushed like you might expect. I will definitely suggest minutemen! 9 out of 10

Second: The Silk Spectre #1
I was absolutely blown away by this comic. So well drawn, I could hardly believe it. The story is about a young girl, and could be identified with chick-flicks, but with enough action for guys to dig. It was well paced out, at no point was I left unfilled. Highly recommend this! 10 out of 10

Third: The Comedian #1
This one left me intrigued, but a bit disappointed. It was well drawn with a great story line, but I felt like I was missing a couple of pages. Looking back it mostly all makes sense, but I wanted those 2 extra pages! And the Comedian should have been the one with the best back story. The problem is that so much of his back story was covered in the original Watchmen series. I give this one a 7.5 out of 10

Lastly: Night Owl #1
I thought this issue was a mess. So much ground was covered in so few pages. Dan goes from being 17 years old in the beginning to being paired up with Rorschach by the end. Much too rushed for my liking. These are prequel stories, to expand on the history! They should never just be to be. Although it is well drawn and no collection of BF is complete without it, I give it a 6 out of 10.

Creator VS. Publisher

I hope you've been keeping up to date on the controversy revolving DC comics and the new Before Watchmen series. I don't want to get in to a bunch of boring details so here it is in short form. DC comics owns the Watchmen series, created by Alan Moore, and illustrated by Dave Gibbons in the mid 1980's. They own the series based on a contract drawn up for Moore that states ownership would revert back to Moore after Watchmen went out of print. It never went out of print and DC has been rolling in the dough for years, against Moore's wishes. Creators and creator sympathisers claim Dc "tricked" Moore out of ownership. Moore also objected to the production of the Watchmen movie in 2009. Moore also detests the Before Watchmen series, calling DC shameless. Gibbons, on the other hand, has given his blessing thus far.

So what's the problem, and who's in the wrong here? Is this a case of the big bad publisher versus poor writer? Or a case of children fighting over a toy? I for one can sympathise with Moore. He had a vision for the series. It had a beginning and an end. And I'm sure you've heard this very argument regurgitated over and over again. But I agree in a sense. Watchmen made its point in 12 issues, and left the series with no possible furtherance. Watchmen was phenomenally written and illustrated. But does the fact that it was well written with a beginning and end mean that the history of the Watchmen universe shouldn't be explored?

I see no reason why it shouldn't. The argument that it's not needed is beside the point. Is anything needed? Watchmen in itself wasn't needed. But it's there. And it shows history. But not all of it. I for one am very interested in the prequels. I want to delve further into the history of what Moore created. That being said, I am disappointed the series went ahead without Moore. As, I'm sure, most people are.

The Watchmen is held in such high regard by almost everyone who has ever read a comic book, that taking on the prequels was probably a very daunting task. These talented people all hold Watchmen in high regards and want to do nothing that would harm the integrity of the series. So far, they have done just that. Minutemen #1 was so refreshing, I think I sighed that sigh of relief we all love when I read the final page. Anything DC does with this series that is short of great, would obviously be met with much more scrutiny than it already has. Not only would the creator enthusiasts have more wood for their fire of constant grumbling, but the ones who were excited for BW would also be enraged.

So back to the dilemma, did DC trick Moore? Or is this a case of "That's MYYYYY toy!". I think it can be summed up just like that! "Here's a toy Alan" "thanks! It's my favourite!" "Hey we need to share that, it's the rules!" "But I don't wanna share, it's mine! You can't use it like that!" "But we have to follow the rules". Fact here is, Moore made the Watchmen, for DC comics. They series was so popular it never went out of print. DC owns it due to this. DC is upholding the contract. If Moore didn't like handing over ownership, he should have taken it to an indie publisher that let him keep ownership. Pretty plain and simple. What do you think? Follow me on twitter and let's talk! @thecomicblog