Granite State

If Ozymandias was the fall of kings and the collapse of characters, then 'Granite State' is the critical point in character development that shows how they respond to their downfall.

In this (once more) incredible episode, we see the what the characters have become after everything went to hell last episode. We see who they transform into after all the death, pain, and drugs that have consumed their lives. It is one of the most crucial points in their development. Their actions in this episode determine how they go out as.

Skylar is an empty shell of who she once was. All the care, all the passion, all the independence has been beaten out of her until she's nothing more than a mindless robot that sulks through events carelessly. She has nothing left. Walt has destroyed everything she cared about. She has given up. It's sad to see a woman so passionate and defensive of her beliefs be broken down and deteriorate to this state of mindlessness, but it is all a consequence of the choices Walt made.

When the episode began, Jesse wasn't broken. He had some motive left in him. He attempted to escape the clutches of the Neo Nazis and the psychopathic Meth Damon, but he failed. And he payed the price. With Andrea's death, Jesse no longer has anything left. Or rather, he has so little left that he's too scared to fight back any longer. Brock is the only thing keeping him going, but he's too afraid to disobey anymore in fear that he'll lose him too. But I tell you, when Jesse broke down during Andrea's death, I was genuinely disturbed. Aaron's acting is incredible. Rarely am I ever this affected by a death scene. I didn't even really care about Andrea, but Jesse's hopeless wailing made this one of the show's best death scenes to date.

Finally, we get to Walt, who also started the episode off with much hope, but it was gradually beaten out of him, as with everyone else. He starts off believing he can save his family, but a conversation with Saul that ends in a coughing fit demotivates him. Still, after hiding away in New Hampshire for months, he is determined to get the money to his family some how. It's the tearful conversation with Flynn that finally destroys him. His own son, that he started the meth empire for in the first place, telling him to die already. Him, frail and weak, realizing that he has failed, and the past two years of murder and tears was all for nothing. He literally sits and waits for it all to be over.

But unlike all the others, Walt gets re-inspired. A television broadcast reminds him of Gray Matter, the company that he poured his soul into that was taken from him. The very people that bruised his ego and helped spawn his dual identity of Hiesenburg. Somehow, what's said on that television encourages him to go on one last crusade. What exactly he took from the television and what he's going to do is being debated, but in truth no one will know until next Sunday.

This episode was brilliant in terms of character development and acting. One episode remains, and I personally am jizzing in excitement. The greatest narrative of the generation is culminating, and the supposedly polarizing end is soon upon us. What last step will the series take us? God only knows.

Ozymandias

When we're on the internet in the year 2013, I don't think it's required of me to describe how amazing and beautiful the cult phenomenon Breaking Bad is. Anyone who regularly goes on social networking or forum sites are well aware of its popularity. 

That said...

Breaking Bad is the one of the greatest shows in television history and quite possibly the most spectacular narrative of the decade. Each episode, especially in the final season, has been edge-of-the-seat drama, fantastic story-telling, fascinating character development, and has brought out more emotions in me then any television show I've watched before. The easily missed symbolism, unique camera work, and other little quirks to the show just add to the show's beauty. While those who aren't fans of the show may be tired of hearing it, I'm far from done saying it: Breaking Bad will go down in history as the greatest stories of all time.

 

And if there is one episode that every event in the show has been leading up to, then it was 'Ozymandias'. It was the culmination of every mistake Walt's ever made, every choice he chose wrongly, every action he took to further satisfy his ego while telling himself its for his family. His brother-in-law, the one person he wanted more than anything to keep away from all the shit he started, is dead. His partnership with Jesse has finally ended with his reveal to him that he watched Jane die. His family has finally fallen apart after his wife and then his son turned against him. Everything he has ever worked for has gone to shit.

The use of the flash backward in the beginning of the episode perfectly shows it too. He's just begun his new lifestyle, completely oblivious to how fucked up his life is to become. He has a normal, happy conversation on the phone with his wife, and we witness them deciding on the name Holly for their daughter. Flash forward to the end of the episode, and he's having a different conversation with his wife. Arguably in an effort to toy with the police, he insults her and blames her for everything that's happened, with Holly still being the center of the conversation in a twisted way. 

One can only wonder what direction they'll take in the next two episodes, now that every part of Walt's life has crumbled from beneath him. The king has fallen; all that's left is revenge and retribution. Ozymandias has been one of the greatest episodes of Breaking Bad thus far, and I hope that 'Granite State' can earn that title as well. 

Riddler #1: Solitaire Review

Really, really enjoyed this for some reason.

In the month of September, DC Comics replaced all their monthly titles with what is basically a fuckton of One-Shots starring everybody's favorite villains. Each comic was released twice, one with a normal cover for $2.99 and one with a special 3-D cover for a buck more. This highly gimmicky event has been pretty controversial; some buying into it and getting every issue with the special covers, others skipping it entirely. I decided to buy 2 or 3 of my favorite villains, just out of curiosity. One such villain I picked up was the Riddler (in 2D).

Now, from what I've been hearing, most of Villains Month so far has been pretty lackluster, so my expectations were fairly low. Still, I was hopeful. Riddler, when written correctly, is one of my favorite Batman villains. I really wanted this comic to be good, and I was not let down. 

Batman 23.2 "Riddler #1"

'Solitaire' opens with a very short, easily forgettable flashback to Edward Nigma's time in Arkham Asylum, being pushed around by a security guard and having his cards taken from him. We then flash forward to Wayne Enterprises, where the Riddler does what he does best; pull a complicated heist and leave clues everywhere that no one but Batman can decipher. Only this time, Bats isn't here.

It sounds like a very typical Riddler story, I know, but it's clear that the writers took his character much more seriously in this issue. Riddler is commonly portrayed as a one-dimensional loony with some crazy gimmicks. There was nothing to make him human, just a man with breathtaking OCD issues. And I'll admit, that's the reason I liked Rids in the first place, but this issue has shown me a whole new side to him that I didn't understand before. You can see the humanity in him, and you can tell how he's a man with flaws as opposed to a boring, destructive nut job. (A Joker that tells Riddles, if you will.)

All of Nygma's Riddles are laid out at the beginning of the issue, and their answers are revealed over the course of the issue as Riddler's invasion of Wayne Enterprises plays out. You get to see all of Nygma's little quirks throughout the issue. He's calm, collected, and has utter disregard for anything he's doing. He's completely content throughout his scheme, save for a few moments where he loses control of himself and lashes out. And when he does, you get to see how evil he can be. And in the end, you learn that the entire goal of his takeover had nothing to do with Wayne at all. 'Solitaire' is about a troubled man who's held a grudge for a very long time.

The art in this issue isn't anything special, but it isn't bad by any means. There's no incredible details, there's no exaggerated movements, everything is down to earth and simple. It works well for the story. If the goal of this comic was to help us see inside of Edward Nygma and for us to be able to see him more humanly, than the art worked perfectly, especially with Rid's subtle facial expressions.

If there's one issue to check out so far in Villain's Month, it's the Riddler. It's a fantastic story, even more so if you're already a fan of 'ol Nygma. The stories fantastic, the art is solid, and overall it was just an awesome read.

 Next week I'll be reviewing Superior 18 and possibly some more Villain's Month issues if I hear one is good enough to merit 3 bucks. Also, don't be surprised if you see a reaction article to this Sunday's episode of Breaking Bad. Man, do I love that show.

Cheers.

Superior Spider-Man #17 Review

Dan Slott's 'Superior Spider-Man' has been a controversial series from the start. Some love it, others hate it, but regardless of your feelings towards it, there's no denying it is a masterfully plotted comic.

Issue #17 is no different. The first issue in a 3 part arc "Necessary Evil", this book was charged with the task of reintroducing Spider-Man 2099 to audiences for the first time in a few years. The issue opens in the year 2099, with Miguel O' Hara, the Spider-Man of tomorrow, battling enemies from out of time. Investigating the ripples in time leads him to Alchemax, the evil corporation helmed by his father, Tyler Stone.

Cover A

The writers needed to come up with a good reason why 2099 was in the present other than the fact that it'd make a cool story, and they did so in a reasonable way. Tyler Stone is being wiped from existence due to the timeline issues, so to prevent himself from being erased from history along with his dad, 2099 must travel to the year 2013 to discover the source of the messed up timeline. From there, we jump to the present, where Max Modell is arrested for a variety of charges. The man behind it? Tiberius Stone, father of Tyler Stone and grandfather of Spidey 2099.

The premise of the book is solid and quite interesting. Somehow, Tiberius messes up the past in a way we've yet to see that completely screws up the future, and now the Spider of today and the Spider of tomorrow have to stop it. (course the issue has so many side plots to set up and follow up on that this doesn't really happen this issue, but is set up for the next.) And to further excite the reader with little plot connections, Liz Allen is brought into the picture. What happens to be the name of her company? Allan Chemical?

AlChem?

Sounds an awful lot like Alchemax, doesn't it?

We also get an update on all things Goblin, with the Green Gobin, er, "Goblin King", fighting with the Hobgoblin, er, "Goblin Knight", and then teasing that he has some evil scheme in mind. We also get a particularly foreboding speech from Liz Allan's son Normie, talking about how bad Spidey is and how somebody should "do something about [him]".

All these little plot connections make this story a really fun read. I'm definately interested in where they're going with this, which in my eyes means that this was a successful issue. Slott is a mastermind at long term plots, and Stegman's expressive, almost messy artwork really fits the fast-paced feel of the book. In my opinion, Superior Spider-Man is heading in a really good direction.

Cover B

Cover C

The Star Wars #1 Review

After a long while of promoting and hype, 'The Star Wars #1' finally went on sale last Wednesday. The 8-issue limited series adapting George Lucas' first draft of Star Wars serves as a big "What If?" to the films, and has certainly piqued many people's interest. I debated whether or not to read it in trade, but curiosity made me pick up the first issue last week. I was not disappointed.

The writer for this comic was an interesting choice, having previously written only non-fiction. People were skeptical of him being able to take on a fiction story. However, I had to wonder how much fiction he'd personally have to write. If this comic is adapted from a screenplay, then isn't he just transferring over some scenes into comic-book format? I gave him a chance. And like I said, I was not disappointed. The story is a bit all over the place, it being a first issue and all and having to explain what this familiar yet different universe is like. 

Cover A

Most of the characters have been introduced, from General Luke Skywalker to Kane and Annikin Starkiller to a slightly more human Darth Vader. There's a good deal of politics to let you know just whats up in this universe. All out war has not begun just yet, but the events of this issue and the tease of "Next Issue: The Empire Strikes!" shows that shits gonna go down pretty soon. All in all, I'm very excited to read this series. 

I think the most positive part of the issue is in its artistic design. Mike Mayhew does a great job at drawing familiar things like Star Destroyers, Jedi clothing, light sabers, etc. in a way that you can see how they could evolve into what we've all seen in the films. The back of the book even includes a concept art page that shows the different designs he came up with for Star Destroyers, the Cloud City-esque Imperial Capital, and Imperial Air Tanks. Some of the redesigns even gave me a chuckle; I could clearly tell what they were inspired by, but they were also noticeably different. The art of the issue is definitely it's strong point. 

If you're a fan of Star Wars and would like to see what might have been, I would absolutely check out this series. I'm very intrigued by this and will be buying and reviewing the rest of the series as it comes out. 

Cover B

Cover C

Cover D (Midtown Exclusive)

Updoot

Hell there, few if any readers. Sorry if I've been absent lately, I've been busy with school related things and haven't had the time for monstrous analytic articles, specifically the 'Wolverine Review'. So my not-so-humble apologies.

So instead, I'll just be reviewing single comics for a while. Been buying very regularly, and have a great deal of opinions to share. 

so yeah.