Reviews

Posted in

Batman & Robin Eternal #4 Review

Axe me no more questions, tell me no more dies!

Someone’s in the kitchen with Grayson, someone’s in the kitchen I know-ow-ow, someone’s in the kitchen with Grayson, landing a lot of blows! Who isn’t in there, though? It’s a regular kitchen nightmare in the fourth episode of DC’s weekly Grayson extension, I mean Batman tale. Bruce is still addled, the Robin group battles, and an angry Steph taddles! It looks like Tim Drake has a secret allegience, Dick doesn’t mind walking around in public with the Hypnos implant, Harper prefers Cass’s company to Spoiler’s (who wouldn’t?), and Duke Thomas is now a somewhat relevant character! So activate your sleeper agent, it’s time for me to snark about this issue. read more

Penguin Truthby Penguin Truth•
Posted in

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 5 – All about the atmosphere.

 

…Since well… the show has a lot of it in terms of its world building and theming plus… y’know… the action in this week’s episode takes place just above Mars atmosphere but anyway…

Now that the show has gone through four episodes of establishing foundations (or the ‘frame’ if we want to be nerds and connect it to the show), it’s time to start moving upwards and build upon it. As a result we do not get the nice character moments in previous episodes that lets us linger in idiosyncrasies of the world. However, that’s okay since we’ve got enough for right now and we REALLY need to get going with the plot. Still, there’s a lot to like even if it is little things like Mika instantly offering his blanket to Kudelia moments after he notices her visiting him, to McGillis’s reaction to Tekkadan’s ‘present’ to him by episode’s end. read more

Juu-kuchiby Juu-kuchi•
Posted in

Batman & Robin Eternal #3 Review

Baby we were born to ruuuuun!

 

Jason’s a knave, Harper  bleeds in the cave, and Bruce needs to be saved in this third issue in DC’s new weekly Batman lackey party. I don’t know what I have more difficulty believing, that the loser Jason Todd can even keep up with Cassandra Cain for a second or that Tim Drake can continue to be portrayed as the world’s dumbest genius. But hey, in a world when you can’t trust a cannibalistic spy, who can you trust? Steph coins the term “Batler”, Cassie gets offered peanuts for info, Helena expositions, and Beacon Tower is just the worst place in Gotham for Bruce Wayne to be. read more

Penguin Truthby Penguin Truth•
Posted in

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 4 – Martian Corn Futures

Contrary to earlier predictions, there is no loss of human life in this episode. There is a close call, but with an episode title like “The Price of Life”, one would think there’d be another casualty. No, it’s just Okada being smart and instead focusing on making all plot and character elements endure a slow burn before Tekkadan heads off into the stars. This is fine. This is absolutely fine.

While Orga is busy discussing logistics and dealing with Martian bureaucracy for Tekkadan’s Earth venture, the show shifts its focus toward Gjallarhorn and Martian civilian life. It is high time the audience had longer moments with Fareed and Bauduin, and it doesn’t disappoint. There’s still an ominous feeling that emanates from them (especially since we haven’t seen them in battle or pushed to their limit), but their demeanour and disposition is so… unique so to speak. They don’t seem to be much for ideology but they’re very dedicated to their job. They won’t take a bribe, and will personally go down planet-side to investigate even further. Then there’s how they treat Biscuit’s sisters when that ‘close call’ mentioned earlier occurs. Normally at this juncture some hoity-toity high class type would probably treat them as something below his contempt. However, the entire scene is dealt tastefully. One can see and sense the divide between them, but it spares us from some humdrum verbal expressions of snobbery and resentment from either side. What is this? Get this shit out of my robot cartoon I want Gjallarhorn to gas an entire city and all the Martians to be like… “nooo we will fight and defeat you!” read more

Juu-kuchiby Juu-kuchi•
Posted in

Batman & Robin Eternal #2 Review

In hindsight, Batman decided the LSD experiments were premature.

 

Cassandra attacks, The Orphan gets smacked, and Dick flashes back in this second issue of Batman’s weekly Batman event book. Our Agent 37, fresh off an encounter with deadly children, a betrayal by a cannibal (can’t trust anyone these days), and a possibly life-changing revelation, is scrambling to protect all the people on the list of names on the thumb drive he was given. He doesn’t arrive in time to help Harper from receive a beating, but fortunately our mysterious ninja Cassie is a match for the new threat. But what does all this have to do with Jonathan Crane, Scarecrow, and can Tim send me some of those videos of the Row residence? (Sure, you’re no Peeping Tom…) read more

Penguin Truthby Penguin Truth•
Posted in

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 3 – War in the Pocketbook

 

I never realized how much I needed this kind of scene in a Gundam series. Around the midway point of the episode, a small cadre of our heroes is busy crunching numbers of any and all remaining assets after their… corporate takeover. What was initially a good, pleasant; number dwindles to a pittance after factoring in expenses like severance pay, maintenance, and supplies. In a franchise where protagonists are always backed by some well-moneyed source (be it businessmen, military, or weird scientist guy), I never would expect this kind of scene to ever be shown. Granted I’m not sure if it will come up again during the series run (thanks to Kudelia), but the thought of including it is quite appreciated. read more

Juu-kuchiby Juu-kuchi•
Posted in

Batman& Robin Eternal #1 Review

Not pictured: The actual current Robin

It’s time to review Eternal 2, where Cassie debuts, does some badass kung-fu, and when things come unglued, shocking things ensue! It’s DC’s new weekly Batman saga, hot on the heels of Jim Gordon becoming Batman and Dick Grayson’s spy career’s growing complications. With Bruce Wayne out of action, Gotham’s streets are defended by a group of costumed teens and young adults that the new Caped Crusader has no patience for, and the first Robin uncovers a startling secret his mentor had kept for him for years. read more

Penguin Truthby Penguin Truth•
Posted in

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 2 – G-Chekketsu yourself before you G-Rekketsu yourself.

 

Solanum Lycopersicum Callipyge

Like the lumbering skeleton-framed Gundam Barbatos, the series begins its purposeful lurch forward. You can tell by its lurch (despite the exciting, electric, “Raise Your Flag” opening), in the way the battle between the Barbatos and Gjallarhorn squad quickly concludes and focuses on world building. The more interesting thing about this is that there’s no narrator this time around (it’s kindof a thing in Gundam) to get us going about the world. Every little story element that is shown and told is done by any and all characters present, thus allowing us maximum engagement in the world and its characters. Like the mobile suit, the story is piecing itself together into a more cohesive, dynamic, whole. read more

Juu-kuchiby Juu-kuchi•
Posted in

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 01 – These Kids’re Alright…

…Except for all those things that have been done to them, never mind their place in a PMC that sees them as expendable. But let’s not dwell on that much, because there’s a lot to like in this very good first episode.

The greatest strength of this premiere is its handling of a universe that’s the result of a 300 year long reign of Mars by the Earth Sphere. The peace is frayed, calls for independence are beginning to rise, and there is an undercurrent of tension on every level. All of this is established without firing a shot given the series describing the Special Forces of Earth, Gjallarhorn, as very violent in their quelling of uprisings. The way a well-to-do Martian citizen wipes his sweating brow as he diplomatically grovels for his daughter’s independence seeking behavior, is well done and establishes how much fear can be generated if Earth is opposed. Heck, a shot won’t be fired from their elite units until near the end of the episode, and even then you can see tensions are frayed there too! I like these little touches, and hope it remains such throughout the course of the series, even if Gjallarhorn/Earth eventually goes full Titans (Zeta) or A-LAWS (00 Season 2). read more

Juu-kuchiby Juu-kuchi•