GODZILLA IN HELL Retrospect

GODZILLA IN HELL ended last week with its fifth issue. For a short review, it was definitely interesting. Dave Wachter wrote Big G well and the art was very good. The shocking thing was the ending.

Godzilla rises out of the ocean, in real time.

So apparently the entire series featured Godzilla not in the actual Hell, but in his own personal hell. Basically, he goes through inner demons and eventually...conquers himself?

I will admit the concept is pretty interesting. Godzilla never actually died...or did he? As I type this it becomes a little more confusing because Big G could have died but somehow came back to life after going through all this. I'm inclined to believe, based on the quote provided in the last issue, that he never actually entered Hell, but as started earlier, he went through hell in the mind, which is definitely interesting.

Still, it could also be a disappointment since the descriptions kept telling us different things. Sure, one could make an argument that all the summaries were talking about hell inwardly. But one description talks about King Ghidorah sending him there, while another instead shows us the world blowing up because of a battle with SpaceGodzilla.

As you can see, continuity wasn't consistent, making this the most confusing Godzilla related thing yet. Confusing doesn't equal bad, of course. There's too much unique storytelling for any fan to miss. The first issue established the tone with the "Abandon Hope all ye who enter Here." It was the perfect starter as Godzilla battled a nightmarish version of himself. The second issue might be my favorite, for Bob Eggleton's elegant writing and incredible art. (It was the first actual painted Godzilla comic!)

The third issue was perhaps the most strange. We had these Mothra angels trying to get Godzilla to enlist in battling the demons. As I said in my review, that was too cool of a concept to bring up and throw away. I was also not a fan of how it tried to depict these angelic beings as antagonistic. Considering the title, it would have been nice to see some angels aiding Godzilla out of the place.

(But if this is some kind of dream landscape, then technically none of this actually happened in real time.)

Issue 4 had Godzilla's two greatest enemies: King Ghidorah and Destoroyah. If this is a personal hell, then it's fascinating to see this since Godzilla himself considers battling these two together one of the most brutal things imaginable. The final issue sort of brings it all together. As already stated, it ends with him rising out of the water.

So looking back, when looked at from #5 ending's perspective, GODZILLA IN HELL offers a very unique view into the mind of the monster, which very few things have done in the past. We see G enter his hell in the first issue, fighting a nightmarish version of himself. At the end of Issue 2 he battles whom he considers his greatest adversary. In Issue 3 we see the world, his home, blowing up. Issue 4 we see a nightmare scenario: him battling his two greatest foes. And finally we see him literally being turned into a skeleton in the final issue which is the final hell, death. But it doesn't end there. He rises, beating death, eventually reaches the summit, and rises out of the water.

Still, there are those strange dialogue inconsistencies. The issues are 95% without dialogue, but there is some contradictory narration detailing the events. This makes me think that the original idea was to have G go through the actual Hell, but in the end was changed. Besides the inconsistencies, the story is a definite must read. The Big G has never been in a story like this, and probably won't be again anytime soon.

The Great Decline

Entertainment is one of the things that gives us joy as human beings. It can be fun, educational, and thoroughly engaging. Music is one of the most popular forms of entertainment, especially with the teen and young adult generation. Unfortunately, most of music you hear today glorifies doing things one's way, not listening to authority and getting down with parties, drinking and the like. Many will write it off as not harmful since it's "just entertainment." Is it however "just entertainment?"

Cartoons are probably the most popular form of entertainment for the younger generation. A young one's mind is more susceptible to being fried than an adult's, and then there's the problem. Kids, even with the advent of the internet, are still watching lots of television. A lot of parents pay little mind to what their kids are watching, thinking that since it's a cartoon, there's no problem with them watching it. This is a grave mistake, and sadly the major companies feed into this, broadcasting programs with little to no well thought-out writing.

Why do they do this? Because kids today will generally watch just about anything that is bright and crude. The companies realize this, so they don't bother delivering quality writing and storytelling. Why go the extra mile when you could give kids a pretty mindless show that they'll always watch, giving the company high ratings and more $? It appears that's pretty much the thought process. And then when there are good shows, the company cancels them or puts them in spots when most kids won't be able to watch them.

"But wait a second writer" you say, "who says cartoons have to have meaning or a kid to learn something?" "Can't they just be entertaining?" Sure, there's nothing wrong with a little mindless non-crude entertainment, but the channels are over-saturated with it. If kids aren't shown alternatives or taught why these cartoons are dumb, then nothing can be accomplished. Interestingly, while there are strict guidelines when it comes to what can and can't be shown on a TV-Y and TV-Y7 program, boundaries in movies are quckly fading. Saying the "f" word in a PG-13 film was unheard of 20 years ago; it would automatically earn you an R rating. But nowadays it's totally normal to have that and other swearing in a PG-13 film. If one is constantly witness to mindless adventures, crude humor, and language, I'm inclined to believe that they too will begin to act mindless themselves and display terrible behavior in their daily activities.

Right now in theaters there's a movie called "Fifty Shades of Grey." One can defend it all they like, but what cannot be defended is the fact that the primary reason it's selling tickets is because of sexual appeal, especially to the young adult generation. This is a major problem, because this generation already struggles greatly with purity. I personally don't know what's more scary: the fact there are people who have said "Let's make this movie" or that thousands of people have watched it opening weekend. Some might stop reading right now and say, "There's nothing wrong with watching these things." But there is. The more stuff we allow ourselves to absorb, the more our minds become corrupted. We then allow ourselves to think its okay to watch a film with excessive things. Films like Fifty Shades and "Piranha 3D" play upon those beliefs. The people involved in making these movies knows there's an audience, and that fact alone is pretty sad.

We need to start thinking about what we are watching and what our kids are watching. What kind of person supports a film with blatant nudity as the selling point? What kind of parent allows their kid to constantly watch mindless crude humor? We need to bring morality back into Hollywood and good writing into the TV screen. I won't stand with a culture that glorifies anti-purity, anti-Godliness, and anti-morality. And you shouldn't either. Take a stand. Stand up for what's right.

Kingdom Come Review

What is a superhero?

A man or woman whom is gifted with superpowers that makes a street, a city, or the world a better place. Ordinary citizens look up these heroes, to the point where they view them as gods. Instead of being an inspiring force, superheroes such as Superman and Wonder Woman are looked on as greater individuals. They are expected to 'save the day.' That is the problem, because superheroes are for the most part human, just with powers. Kingdom Come explores this and quite a few other things you don't see normally in comics. This story is over a decade old, but is still relevant, It will always be relevant. If you're a comic fan and haven't read Kingdom Come, go to your local store or buy it online. It is one of the greatest DC stories, wait, scratch that. It is one of the greatest stories of all time.

Kingdom Come can be looked at with different perspectives. One can view it as a question. What does it mean to be superhero? One can view it as a look at what happens when regard for human morals is thrown out the window. Or one can view it as an elseworlds look as the future world of the Justice League. The story is all that. Writer Mark Waid is no stranger to DC, easily one of the most well known and best writers in the comic world. From Tower of Babel to Superman: Birthright, he knows the characters well. The story takes place years into the future when the main heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman are no longer in business. There is no Justice League. Instead, new 'metahumans' run rampant, Unlike the heroes of old, they don't have much regard for human life. But where is Superman? After a big commotion with the metahuman Magog, he realized he wasn't truly wanted. Let's pause there. Superman's personal exile is played off well. Who is the most psychotic killer in all of comic land? The answer would be the Joker. (Though I'm sure Carnage fans will argue.) There are many that wonder why a superhero like Superman hasn't put an end to such a menace. The simple answer is that killing is wrong. But a lot of people don't see it that way. So when someone like Magog comes along and shows he's not afraid to step over that moral code, people rallied behind him when Superman brought him to court.

Batman on the other hand hasn't quite given up, on his city anyway. Now, the interesting part is that the story's main character is not one of the heroes, but a regular person. He is a pastor named Norman McCay who gets chosen by the Spectre to see the events which lead to armageddon. What I found intriguing is that according to the words he didn't believe God to have a face, rather as a force with many names. In that way he rediscovers Him in a whole new way. Back to the League part of the story, after an incident in Kansas with Magog, it's Wonder Woman that makes an attempt to convince Superman to back in action which in turn will inspire the other heroes. Superman has never been written like this before, passive and just completely absent. And soon after when he comes back he's put into position of being a world leader. Batman is much like his Dark Knight Returns counterpart. To see these heroes in such a state is truly interesting and needs to be seen by all.

Lex Luthor is still in business, using the situations of the world for his own benefit. You know things are wrong when Batman makes an alliance with Luthor. It's a truly unique thing to see, Batman gathering an army of young heroes working with Lex to combat Superman and the newly formed League. However, the most intriguing part of the story is Captain Marvel. He has a very strong presence later in the book. First off, it's an interesting thing to see Billy Batson fully grown, I don't think any story has shown us that. Secondly, it was very cool how strong Waid made him and how being Earth's Mightiest Mortal played a big part in the long run. His creepy smile was a very nice touch, since he had been brainwashed by Luthor. The fight between him and Superman doesn't disappoint. While it's fun to look at, the writing accompanying it is just as as amazing. Never before has a battle had such stakes and of course the fact that it's a fan favorite made it even more engaging.

While the writing is amazing done, (seriously, it reads like a novel) Alex Ross's majestic art was a key factor in the book's success. Never before has superheroes looked so awes-inspiring, which was appropriate. There's a really fantastic splash page (above) of Captain Marvel confronting Superman. Ross is an absolute genius when it comes to the brush, there's no way Kingdom Come would have been the same without his dynamic and realistic art. Seriously, it's almost like every panel is a high quality painting. I would recommend this book just to see how amazing the DC heroes can look. (It's also important to mention that Ross co-wrote the book with Waid.) There are virtually no complaints to be had with the story. Sure, I thought the whole League returning was slightly rushed. So when Superman came back everyone immediately sprang up to action? I would have liked to see him having a conversation with all of them. But, it doesn't hinder how majestic it is to see the League again for us and the people within the comic.

The League returning transformed the story into a more traditional adventure. Almost. The book never lets of go of prodding the reader to rethink the comic world. A scene that comes to mind is when Superman comes to the UN and tells the leaders that they're back and they're going to make things right. Usually that would be a good thing, but thanks to the narration we're left seeing something from the leaders' point if view. They are not truly in control, it's these heroes that call the shots when things get tough. Then later Superman has a prison built for metahumans that decide they don't want to follow his code of honor. This is interesting since there is no trial. If you don't follow Superman's way you're thrown into this detention center called Gulag. So despite the League being back, everything isn't as dandy as it should be. In the end, nuclear weapons are sent. Superman has the power to stop them, but he doesn't know if he should. Perhaps the missiles should hit, they would rid the Earth of superheroes and the planet would belong to humankind again. He leaves this decision to Captain Marvel, whom is both a god and a mortal. The dialogue is a little heavy handed here, but that's alright. In the end, rather than have a bittersweet or sad ending, it leaves us on a high note. The superheroes decide that's it time to work with humankind as opposed to above them. That is what Kingdom Come is about.

Kingdom Come isn't just another comic book. The amazing team of Mark Waid and Alex Rose see to that. It's a classic novel, looking at superheroes in a whole new way. Written in 1996, it will forever be relevant no matter how different comics become.

5/5

Quoted, a Truly Big Feat

It was just about four months ago when I was enlisted in joining the site Unleash the Fanboy. A Twitter colleague of mine had seen my past work over at ComicBookMovie, he was the one that told me UTF was looking for new members. Well you know....you gotta make the most of every opportunity that presents itself. I wasn't exactly the busiest person out there, so landing my reviewing skills to a site would be no problem. And who knows what could happen. Like, earlier this year the London Horror Company had sent me a comic (yes, I got a comic sent to me from London for free) to review, because the writer had seen my work on my Spidey comic reviews. So I went on the UTF evaluation trial to see if I would be a capable member.

Two weeks later I was officially 'chief comic reviewer.'

For awhile it was just me handling the comic reviews. (Image Comics to be exact, I get free PDFs. A PDF is a file that could only be read online, so I get to read these bad boys early.) However, things changed about two months later. New reviewers started to show up. This put me in an interesting position. I was now head of the comic reviewing department, a leader of a team. (This is probably the fastest rising of ranks ever.) I will admit that being a 'boss' is pretty awesome. Now, for the main subject...

You know the comic series Artifacts? I had written a review of Issue #17 last month. Issue #18 was recently released, and if you look at the back of the cover...

Yup, that's a quote from my review. How's that for awesome? After being outside for about six hours, to come home and find out this was truly something else. A comic that hundreds will and have read, and my words are right there. So when you see that quote on the back of the comic, know it's from me, your fellow comic reviewer Daniel over at UTF.

Weekly Comic Reviews

First off, I must apologize for the lateness of these reviews. Now that I'm becoming a writer for Unleash the Fanboy, getting these reviews up between Wednesday and Friday is tough. I will attempt to do better in the future. But for now, check out reviews for Avengers vs. X-Men #2, Justice League #8, and Amazing Spider-Man #685.

Avengers vs. X-Men #2.

                                       Official Description 

• As The Opening Shot Is Fired, The Avengers Storm The Beach Of Utopia, And The Phoenix Draws Ever Nearer To Earth! • But Which Side Will Wolverine Fight On? • And What Choice Will Hope Make That Will Change The Direction And Scope Of The Conflict Dramatically?

                                          THE GOOD

This comic was pretty darn exciting. It's basically what fans of both teams have dreamed about for a long time. Sure these teams have battled before, but nothing of this magnitude. Who doesn't want to see some satisfying, brutal action between Cyclops and Cap with some great writing to compliment it? The match-ups and fights are exciting. However, my personal favorite scene was when Spidey and Wolverine 'slipped' the battle to get Hope. It's moments like that when we know that Marvel doesn't forget the history with these characters.

                                            THE BAD

Well everything seems to be happening a bit too quickly. The war between the two teams just felt a bit pushed. Also, Cyclops seems extremely clouded in judgement. He just doesn't seem to be thinking clearly really at all. Spidey's dialogue is also much to be desired. Also, the dialogue sequence between Iron Man and Emma Frost bothered me a bit, it felt kinda strange.

                                                ART

Fantastic, John Romita Jr. continues to impress. His style with the characters make the battles come alive. Great cover also.

                                           OVERALL

This is definitely one of the most exciting comics I've read in awhile. Even though it's non-stop fighting, it still manages to continue the story with some interesting developments. Now all we need is for Cyclops is to start acting like Cyclops.

9/10.

Justice League #8

                                                   Official Description

In the five years that the Justice League has been a team, Green Arrow has never once been a member. And he intends to rectify that right here, right now! One member against his candidacy: Aquaman! Plus, in “The Curse of Shazam” part 2, Billy arrives in his new foster home just as an ancient evil is uncovered halfway across the world.

                                         THE GOOD

Did you see the way Superman was drawn and portrayed? He actually looks like a Superman, not a Super-teen. It's also nice to see him getting some GOOD dialogue for once. The action is fun, and I take back everything I've said about Cyborg in the past, he's a fantastic addition to the team. And you know, Steven Trevor isn't that bad anymore, I'm beginning to enjoy reading his character. The backup Shazam story is so far a great modern retelling of the origin of Earth's Mightiest Mortal.

                                            THE BAD

Nothing happened! It was practically filler! It was unimportant. It started out good, but ran into joke territory. Green Arrow *attempting* to join the the team on three occasions in the issue became a running gag. A lot of the dialogue is a joke. Geoff Johns is really beginning to remind me of Bendis. The writing is plain juvenile sometimes. Oh, and Billy Batson is a complete jerk! Why did they decide to make him an emo kid?

                                                ART

If there's any comic you should buy for the art, it's this. Carlos D'Anda takes over for art duties on this one, and honestly he's just as good as Jim Lee. There's an amazing splash page with the League battling Martian Manhunter. This is some of the best art currently in comics.

                                           OVERALL

A rather disappointing issue. In fact, this is the worst one yet. Green Arrow and his dialogue are a complete joke. A lot of the writing here is below sub-par, even Batman isn't sometimes written correctly, he comes off as TOO arrogant in this issue. To be completely fair, the comic did have its few merits. Some of the banter between the League was admittedly funny, and the action is fun.This comic isn't an awful one, but not great.

6/10.

Amazing Spider-Man #684

                                      Official Description

• Spider-Man’s Globetrotting Adventure Against The Sinister Six Moves To The Middle East For A Face Off Against…The Sandman! • In The Past, Spidey’s Fought Sandman On Beaches, In Quarries, But Never Like This – How Can Web-Head Hope To Defeat Sandman When He’s Controlling The Sahara Desert?! • Special Guest Stars: Black Widow And Silver Sable.

                                           THE GOOD

The story continues to be exciting and intriguing. Doc Ock continues to be a great main villain, his well-done but short dialogue with Spidey was very good. In fact, Dan Slott is at his finest here. Spidey is actually acting like how he used to. The writing here is great and often humorous. (Here's the best quote of the entire issue. After seeing Silver Sable's invisible jet, Spidey quips "An invisible jet? Sounds like something out of a comic book." Brilliant? Yes.) Also, I just want to say how awesome the new Spidey costume (technically armor) is. It's great and I hope it doesn't go away anytime soon. Also, the strange team up of Spidey, Black Widow, and Silver Sable works fabulously, it's something we haven't seen before. And I have to mention this, the way Spidey defeats Sandman is incredibly intelligent, I applaud Slott once again.

                                             THE BAD

Well I don't think all the nations of the world agreeing with Ock is a wise move. After all these years of these super villains pretending to be good, are they really going to buy that? I think not. The Sandman seems to be clouded in judgement, he only seems to be 'bad' because Slott wants him to be.

                                                  ART 

Humberto Ramos really surprised me here. He seems to be laying off the extremely cartoony art he normally applies. His style of art here really gives this book its own look. It makes the new Spidey suit look fantastic. However, the cover really bothers me. It's not bad for the most part, except Spidey. Why is he in his regular costume when in this arc he's using the new arnor? And what's up with those strange eyes on the mask? Sorry, but it looks really weird.

                                            OVERALL

Another great addition to the Ends of the Earth story. Slott is using great dialogue, and the issue is just plain fun. This is by far the best Spidey story in awhile.

9/10.