My goal for 2016 is...

The New Year is almost upon us. What is the favorite pastime around this time of year? I'm not going to do a year in review. I considered writing what I learned; however,  that could be addressed with one remaining favorite activity this time of year. That's New Year's resolutions!


I hate New Year's resolutions. They are easily broken. I may have kept one once... But like Charlie Brown often says, 'This time will be different! This time I will...' Okay, I am not talking about kicking a football. Looking back, my one regret with this blog is that I didn't blog as much as I wanted to.


There were many movies over the summer that I wanted to write about yet didn't. Really wanted to have involvement in reviewing DC You and ANAD Marvel. The gaming commentary is rather anemic. Was planning on writing a Christmas entry about a couple Christmas comics but like many promised entries that didn't happen. Alright, that's more because I waited until Christmas itself to attempt to read those comics. Moral of the story: Read Christmas comics, more than one anyway,  before Christmas. Not saying I won't review those Christmas comics at a later date.


So without further ado, my New Year's resolution is to blog more because I am reading comics more frequently, squeezing more gaming in, and in general providing my two cents more often. Should be doable. Shouldn't it?

Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Maybe Minor Spoilers?)

First things first, I absolutely loved Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens. The Force Awakens impressed me so much that I may very well watch it a second time. Rarely do I see a movie twice within the cinema. Heck, nowadays I seldom view a movie again after it leaves theaters. Furthermore, the latest Star Wars is the first movie that I have seen in a while that I feel compelled to write a review of the itself and not in conjunction with other movies and television shows. So with that ringing endorsement out the way let's get to the review shall we?


Spoilers. Spoilers - that nasty thing. How much does one reveal particularly for a hotly anticipated film such the newest installment in the Star Wars Saga? I found the consensus not to spoil the movie refreshing in today's day and age. Although what constitutes a spoiler? Is it specific detail or a generic event? By the time I saw The Force Awakens I already knew there would be some mimicry of the original trilogy. Social media proudly proclaimed how bad-ass the female character Rei is. So those type of spoilers I won't shy from. Since I saw the movie social media has started to reveal more details like Kylo Ren's face. If that's not a spoiler, I don't know what is. Those are they type of spoilers I will endeavor not to reveal.


As a Star Wars fan, I have a confession. I am one of those rare Star Wars fans who grew up with the original trilogy that liked the prequels. Granted, I had my problems but for the most part I could find something enjoyable in all of them. That said, I don't think I would have enjoyed Episode VII without the prequels. Not because the movie borrowed from the prequels. It didn't. Rather The Force Awakens painstakingly avoids every pitfall that prequels made. Excessive CGI? Nope. Mary sue characters? No, more than Luke Skywalker or Han Solo in the originals. Overwhelming cuteness? Yes, there's a bit of cuteness but the latest filmmakers realized that Star Wars isn't a kids movie but a movie that appeals to kids. Signs of an inexperienced, out-of-practice director? Nope. Everyone involved has been active in the movie business for quite some time. I suppose one reason I give Lucas a pass on the prequels is because he not only hadn't been a director since 1977 but the number was so small in total. In game terms, people were expecting a level 20 director. Instead they got a level 5.


One thing that the prequels did right Episode 7 does not is that there was an attempt to break new ground. The prequels greatly expanded special effects with the involvement of CGI albeit they did overdo the CGI. Episode 7 doesn't do that at all. As part of a franchise known for its ground-breaking special effects, there's nothing visually new that one hasn't seen within the last decade. Furthermore, there's no experimentation whatsoever. The Force Awakens plays it safe with the exception that the film is done with modern 21st century sensibilities. It has a strong, diverse cast. Which leads to the next point, Episode 7 borrows heavily from Episode 4: A New Hope. So much that they really should have given George Lucas a writing credit. For as sub-par as they were the prequels were original stories. I guessThe Force Awakens biggest accomplishment was the realization that that is what I wanted. So in a nutshell Bryan Singer should have waited until after Man of Steel before doing Superman Returns...


My other two quibbles were: how easy it was use a lightsaber. The West End version of the Star Wars RPG cries at the relative ease a lightsaber was used. So much for the base difficult difficulty setting... I was also irked by how quickly and how powerful a novice Force user was...


Before one doubts how much I loved Star Wars Episode 7 The Force Awakens:

• Loved the legendary actor Max Von Sydow's appearance! I probably was one of the few that gasped...
• Han Solo/Harrison Ford stole the show. Every scene that Han was in made that scene better than it otherwise would have been. Found myself anticipating further shenanigans in Episode 8.
• Rei - spoilers.
• The intermingling of the original cast and the new generation.
• Kylo Ren - the actor did a terrific job. A worthy heir to Darth Vader in more ways than one.
• Poe and Flinn - some excellent one-liners. Enjoyable battles.
• There's more but that involves delving too much into spoiler territory.

I think the biggest accomplishment is that I am excited for Star Wars again and that although Anakin Skywalker isn't a principal character that the Saga lives once more. After I saw Revenge of the Sith, I felt that the Star Wars story was completed. Sure, I watched The Clone Wars and read Death Troopers but I consider the former as redemption for some of ills of the prequels while the latter was more of a novel concept. My interest in the comics was because of the original cast involvement. Episode 7 as much as borrows familiar elements breathes new life into the Saga. Star Wars will endure; and my excitement re-energized.

At Last, the High Hrothgar Frost Troll Has Been Defeated!

Any gamer would tell you that nothing is more fearsome than when you first encounter the Frost Troll en route to High Hrothgar in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If you're like me, your character is way to weak to even put up a fight against the beast. Must've died several times before I managed to run past it. Even when I created a second character to spice things up, I relied on guile to sneak/run past it. One feature of sandbox games is that not everything a PC encounters matches that character's level. Some are too weak. Others like the Frost Troll serve as reminders that the PC is not too big for its britches. A quirk of Skyrim is that dragons become manageable foes far sooner than the Frost Troll. I remember my excitement when I finally downed it. My PC was at range while summoned creatures and follower fought it up close. Very satisfying indeed!


Still whenever my main character would return to High Hrothgar, such as to learn a location of another Shout, I'd just take advantage of Fast Travel to travel there. Much, much to perilous to face the dreaded Frost Troll. After a six month sabbatical from playing Skyrim and an even longer sabbatical from playing the main quest, I decided it was time for the Nord Thorson to pursue the quest to defeat Alduin once more. Upon learning that High Hrothgar was the destination, I decided that I wouldn't use Fast Travel at all. Thorson travelled from Sky Haven Temple all the way to High Hrothgar on foot. A big change as its been years since a character of mine travelled such a long distance on foot. My second character a Nord name Hragi frequently uses Fast Travel to get places; and Thorson hadn't travelled that path since first reaching High Hrothgar the first time.  So I decided it was time that the Nord Thorson walk that path from long ago and finally face that Frost Troll.


Up the slope of High Hrothgar, Thorson traversed until he encountered a Frost Troll. The quick work that his follower and summoned Flame Atronach made of the Frost Troll felt... anticlimactic. Barely got a hit in! Plus it didn't seem right. I admit its been a year or three since I last made the trek so I couldn't rule anything out with any confidence. Onwards I went. Finally, I reached the familiar (and dreaded!) encounter. Sure, the follower and Conjured Flame Atronach fought it. However, I wasted no time having my character engage it. Nothing more satisfying than the cinematic display of the very character that had been savagely trounced repeatedly by that very Frost Troll dispatching said beast. The troll being absorbed into a Soul Gem was icing on the cake. Then the mighty hero Thorson continued his merry way up to High Hrothgar.

New ANAD Marvels trickle in February

Not sure what's more surprising, the light number of new number ones or my disappointment at that low number. February marks the month when Marvel dramatically slows down the deluge of brand-new #1's as part of its All-New, All-Different initiative (ANAD). Only three new titles debut during the month of February as part of ANAD. Quite frankly, I am surprised at my disappointment at such a low number of new debuts as months ago I expressed skepticism at the large number of new titles. Perhaps, ANAD has brought back my love of Marvel that lay dormant since Civil War a decade ago. Probably helps that every month I discussed my views on each new title's solicitation, eh?


Spider-Man #1 - Not another Peter Parker title. For the first time in a long, long time, a new Spider-Man title where Peter Parker is not the main character under suit. Brian Michael Bendis ushers his creation, Miles Morales, into the mainstream Marvel Universe with this issue.  Quite the noteworthy event! The solicitation implies that Miles will be the primary Spider-Man operating in New York City (suppose its because Peter Parker is too busy globe-trotting). Not sure if I'll buy this or not.


Avenger Standoff: Welcome to Pleasant Hill #1 - A one-shot about an ominous town where everyone keeps tabs on each other. Apparently, Pleasant Hill plays a major role in Spring's big Avengers event. Maybe


Power Man and Iron Fist #1 - Luke Cage and Danny Rand are back together as the Heroes for Hire! Not a big fan of the cover artist but I'm in the mood for classic street-level Power Man & Iron Fist action. Probably will check it out.


Deadpool & the Mercs for Money #1 (of 5) - Don't normally buy min-series and wouldn't count this as a brand-new number one; however I'm excited by this motley band of mercenaries led by Deadpool. Okay, I am also surprised by how many Deadpool-starring titles that elicit interest in me. Points for ANAD.  Believe it or not, its not because of the upcoming film. In any case,  the 90's were my golden age of comic book collecting as I controlled the majority of the purchasing decisions. I became aware of characters such as Foolkiller, Terror, Solo, and Stingray during that time. So a book starring them excites me. The Parental Advisory leads me to believe all sorts of carnage will occur. I'm leaning towards yes.