Terry Brooks’ Sword of Shannara was one of the first full-length novels I’ve ever read, and conveniently, it provided an opening into my own fantasy writing. The Shannara series has gone through many changes over the years, as has my love for it, but the core books, the ones filled with all my nostalgia, remain very dear to my heart. The Elfstones of Shannara, the sequel to Sword, is one of those books. Not only did Elfstones take on a darker tone and explore much more of the magic in Brooks’ fantasy world, it took on a more original story. Whereas Sword follows the Tolkien formula, Elfstones carves its own path into the fantasy genre. Last year, MTV announced that it would produce a Shannara TV show based on the Elfstones of Shannara, something I was beginning to doubt would happen within my lifetime. But MTV? Seriously? I couldn’t get excited about it. Nothing about it, save Jon Favreau as an executive producer, even made me flinch. I just let it go, along with my hopes and dreams, and gave up the notion that MTV could do it right. The months went by and new information began to surface. Miles Millar and Alfred Gough were attached to write the series, two of the writers responsible for Spider-Man 2, one of my favorite superhero movies. They’ve written a lot of other TV screen plays as well, nothing to get too excited about, but enough to make me think they know what they’re doing. But writers are only part of a TV series, and I don’t know enough about these two to know if it even matters that they’re apart of the series. Next came casting. Aaron Jakubenko as Ander Elessedil? I don’t know who that is but I guess he looks the part. Poppy Drayton as Amber? Okay...I guess that would work. Keep in mind, I’m only judging this cast off of looks! I know nothing about these actors and actresses actual abilities, only that they might fit my brain’s visualization of characters in a book I haven’t read in ten years. Within the last couple of weeks, two more casting announcements came that compelled me to write this post. Eretria, the beautiful Rover girl, and Allanon, the forbidding Druid, were cast for Ivana Baquero and Manu Bennett respectively. Suddenly, I was excited. As a teenager, the concept of Eretria made me feel things I’d never really felt before, and Allanon, dark and mysterious, became for me a shinning light in the fantasy world that could never be replaced. The two casting choices (again, I’m ignoring acting abilities!) were perfect. Lastly, now that the show has begun to film, it’s awesome to see an actor like Manu Bennett so excited to play his part. I’ve been following him on Twitter, and it appears he’s ready to begin work as Allanon. As a lifelong fan of the character, that’s more than encouraging to hear from an actor portraying him, and it makes me genuinely excited for the show. I only hope the series lives up to my expectations, as I’m sure the thousands of Shannara fans out there also hope.
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Scott Derrickson, director for Dr. Strange, reveals some concept art for the new movie. I don't know how well known Doctor Strange is outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but in the Comic Universe, Strange is a major player. Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, is perhaps one of the most powerful characters in the universe, possessed of vast magical, mystical, and psychic power. Perhaps one of the fascinating parts about the above photo is that it ties him to the cosmos. Strange has deep ties with the Marvel Cosmic Universe. With this new movie, could we at last see the Marvel abstracts of Death and Eternity come into play?
Friday afternoon, just after school. It's the mid 90's. As soon as I get home, I make a phone call to the video store. They have one Super Nintendo available to rent. I don't ask about the game I want. I know they have it. They always have it. Mom gets home first. I beg her to take me to the video store. There's a condition usually, a chore that needs to be done first, but in the end, I get the ride I need. A half hour later, I'm in my bedroom, hooking up my rented SNES. The game I rented, the one they always have, is Arcana. And it's one of the most fascinating games I've ever played. A Simple Not-So-Simple Design The word "arcana" refers to tarot cards, so it's not surprising the game uses a card-based concept. Everything in the game, from heroes and villains to items, is a card to be played. The protagonist, Rooks, is a Card Master, and as such, he can cast magic in the form of cards, and summon one of four elemental spirits that become his only constant ally. The game itself is set up as a basic and unimaginative dungeon crawler. Each chapter consists of a series of mazes that increase in difficulty, as well as a different set of characters to play with. The story is basic for a fantasy RPG, and the translation is certainly lacking, but there's something fascinating about the plot. The World of Elemen As a young writer who was already immersing myself in an element-based world, Arcana's world felt very close to my own. The Elements of Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire all keep each other in balance. Each element carries a strength and a weakness, bringing a very potent concept of strategy to the came. The first dungeon in the game contains earth-based enemies, a handy coincidence because Rooks' only spirit card is Sylph, a wind-based spirit, and earth has a weakness for wind. However, a healthy dose of fire-based enemies roam this dungeon which is not so handy, after all, fire is strong against wind. This forces Rooks to carry water cards because he hasn't yet obtained the water spirit. Because cards are limited, and usually only found in town, a player must learn to balance physical combat, spirit-wielding, and magic cards, using the latter only when absolutely necessary. Playing with the different elements and figuring out a sound strategy became the most fun for me. Even today, I find the same enjoyment with the game. That moment when you finally get the earth spirit in the dungeon filled with water-based enemies is incredible, as is find your way through the Ice Mine for the first time. A word of advice on the Ice Mine: Don't use a map. Find your own way. It's deliciously frustrating. Once upon a time, four Vault Hunters landed on the distant planet of Pandora in search of (you guessed it) a Vault, an ancient cache of alien weaponry. Unfortunately, the Vault was loaded not with loot, but an alien badass called the Destroyer, but the Vault Hunters beat the Destroyer and saved Pandora. The End. BUT then! Five years later, four new Vault Hunters descended on Pandora to free it from the tyranny of Handsome Jack, the president of the Hyperion Corporation. Also, they were after another Vault. Also, Handsome Jack was after the same Vault because he knew an ancient alien entity called the Warrior was locked inside it. With the Warrior, Jack wanted to scour Pandora with cleansing fire. The new Vault Hunters and the old Vault Hunters united and fought Handsome Jack and the Warrior, killing them both. The End. Now, let's all go out for ice cream... SPOILERS BELOW!!!I finally discovered a flaw in the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I'm sure there's a lot of flaws in the movie, ones caught by other comic enthusiasts and movie-goers alike, but unlike those flaws, this is one I caught, one I care about. I'm not saying the movie (and franchise) are now tarnished, only limited. The reason? Ronan the Accuser is dead. Played by Lee Pace in Guardians, Ronan the Accuser is depicted as a terrorist, a rogue, judge-like soldier. Hellbent on destroying the planet of Xandar, Ronan sets off in search of an Infinity Stone, a tool that will allow him to get what he wants. As villains go, Pace plays the part of the cold-hearted menace well, leaving no options in his character's motives except for betrayal. Something changed drastically in my outlook of this character after watching the movie. Funnily, my outlook changed BECAUSE of the movie. I loved Guardians of the Galaxy so much, I wanted to get a better understanding of the Marvel Cosmic Universe. I dove right into what many believe to be one of the best stories in the MCU comics, Annihilation. Enthralled, I read on past Annihilation, through Conquest, War of Kings, and finally The Thanos Imperative. I fell in love with many of the heroes in these stories including Star-Lord, Nova, Warlock, Phyla-Vell, and... Ronan the Accuser. What!? Ronan? I could hardly believe it as I read. Ronan's no hero. He's a terrorist and a killer. Isn't he? Maybe once... long, long ago, but beginning with Annihilation, Ronan revealed himself to be what he truly is. He's an anti-hero, much like the Punisher. He's willing to go to any lengths to fulfill his duty, but not like his character in Guardians. No, the Ronan in the comic universe is someone possessed of much more honor.
Looking back, I wonder if Ronan's character was wasted in the Guardians movie. Of course, characters can vary wildly from one Marvel Universe to another. In the Ultimate Universe, Ronan is the son of Thanos. But seeing how wide and fantastic the Marvel Cosmic Universe really is and how deep its characters are, I feel like Ronan's character was misused in the Cinematic Universe. Sure, he opened doors to the Kree, Nova, and even Adam Warlock, but another character might've sufficed as a villain. Thanos has more than enough lackey's to pull from.
In future movies, I wonder how the Kree will be represented without their Accuser. I was really on the fence about writing the words "The Best Marvel Movie So Far". I think most people would disagree with me. The Winter Soldier was such a better movie, they'd say. Many other people would ask what a Marvel Movie was. But I believe there are more than a handful of people out there who believe as I do:
Guardians of the Galaxy was a brilliant movie for Marvel to make, and the beginning of many more movies to come. Now, I can't tell you that Marvel has more movies planned (although they do have another Guardians movie scheduled for 2017). I can tell you what worked really well in this movie, and why they'd be crazy not to expand on the Marvel Cosmic Universe. Oh, and in case you were wondering... SPOILER ALERT! Getting sucked into a story is a great way to spend your free time. Sometimes, I’ll find a story in a movie or a TV show. Oftentimes, I find it in a book. Last night, the story I found came from a wonderful source, one I don’t dive into as often as I used to. I began reading Marvel’s Annihilation crossover event. This is a completely new arena for me. For me, Marvel comics have always been about Mutants and Avengers and New York City. Although I knew of the greater Marvel universe, I never felt compelled to read any of those stories. When Guardians of the Galaxy was announced at Comic-Con a couple years back, I began wiki-reading up the various cosmic features of the Marvel universe. I wasn’t let down. I get hungry for the stories just thinking about the characters out there like Galactus, the Living Tribunal, and the Watchers. And worlds. Worlds upon worlds of alien races and creatures. The Shi’ar, the Kree, and the Skrulls, and many, many more. The Marvel cosmic universe was so much bigger than the one measly planet I’d been reading about my entire life. Sure, the Phoenix Force would touch down every now and then, or an alien race would attempt to invade, but I had no idea the grand scale Marvel’s universe held. What the wikis all told me hinted at something like Star Trek in size, but with a mythology and history behind it dating back to the beginning of the universe. Of course, wikis are just wikis. They don’t pull you in. They tease and they taunt with ideas, but this isn’t even close to a story. Last night, I finally began reading Annihilation. For those of you unfamiliar with the basic premise, here’s the situation. At the edge of our universe, where our universe expands into the Negative Zone (don’t ask), is an area of space called the Crunch. From here, a wave of battleships thousands strong emerge into our universe. It’s safe to say they lay waste to pretty much anything.
These initial stories unfold throughout Annihilation: Prologue and then into the four issue series Annihilation:Nova. I read all five of these comic (and then some) last night. I couldn’t stop. The characters, the worlds, and the scale all sucked me in. I learned about the fate of the Xander homeworld alongside Nova, and I saw the power commanded by the Annihilation Wave. I also saw...well...I don’t want to spoil anything, but it was pretty, well, terrifying. I’m not far into the series. I’ve only begun reading Annihilation #1, and I only touched on some of the other stories surrounding the event, but so far, I can’t get enough. That’s something I’m always looking for in a story. More. More. More. It's definitely worth and read, and easily something to get into. I loved the Nova series, and I'm really hoping to see more of him. BTW - Thank you, Marvel, for offering Marvel Unlimited for a buck. I can’t even log on tonight. I'm a comic book guy, but I have a specific niche. I started reading comics back in the early 90's after I got hooked on the X-Men Animated Series. X-Men and Uncanny X-Men were the first books I ever bought, and I quickly expanded my collection to almost anything Mutant-related.
Spider-Man was always there though. He'd crossover every now and then, but I still hadn't bought any of his books. Spider-Man seemed too vanilla. He was a hero for everybody, and at the time, because I was feeling like an outcast, I needed the X-Men. When I started college in 1997, I stopped buying comics. I don't know why. Maybe I had enough? No, not that. Whatever the reason, my collection ended as the X-Men began the fight against Bastion during Operation: Zero Tolerance. I kept up with the X-Men as best I could by reading plot summaries on Wikipedia, but it just wasn't the same. Over the years, I sated my thirst for comic books on the variety of movies and TV shows that appeared. One of my favorites was the first Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire. Something changed in me after seeing that movie. Maybe it was because I got to see the webslinger in action. Maybe it was the overall hype, how everyone suddenly knew who Spider-Man was. Maybe it was because during my first trip to New York City, I heard a tour guide explain how Spider-Man was real and the protector of the city. Maybe it was all of this that finally got me hooked on Spider-Man. Not the comic. Not the movie. The idea of what Spider-Man is. Even now, I don't profess to know much about Spider-Man. Most of what I know, I've picked up from forums and from the Marvel and Spider-Man wikis. I only just recently started reading the Spider-Man comics, beginning with issue #678, so I've missed a lot. But I know one thing about Spider-Man. He's simply amazing. He's a hero for everybody, but he's more than that. He does what he does because he believes he has to. He rises above the obstacles thrown at him, both in his superhero life and his personal life, and when he doesn't, he bleeds. He has superpowers, but not the kind that allow him to do anything he wants. Sometimes, what he's up against is something far greater than his power alone, but somehow, he succeeds. He's not too proud to refuse help from friends, and he knows when to make a tactical retreat. And the thing that puts a smile on my face every time is that no task is above him, from saving the world to saving a kid from a bully. We should all live like Spider-Man. He's an inspiration, and an amazing example of what it means to be human. Leave it to the developers at Gearbox to use a refined trope to announce their newest game in the Borderlands franchise. Aren't these typically called "prequels"? Whatever. One of the great things about the Borderlands series is Gearbox isn't afraid to chart entirely new paths. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is set in the years prior to Handsome Jack's takeover of Pandora, and it will introduce new (but familiar) characters and classes, new weapons, and new elements to the franchise. - Low-gravity/oxygen-powered jetpacks accompany the characters as they explore Pandora's Moon. - New Cryo element - New "Laser" weapon class - Play as familiar characters/classes from Borderlands 1 & 2 including Wilhelm, Athena, Nisha (the Sheriff of Lynchwood), and Claptrap Perhaps we'll get an inside look into Handsome Jack's motives and tactics during his takeover of Pandora. For sure, it'll be great to relive some of the great moments in Pandoran history that were only alluded to or told via EchoLog in Borderlands 2! source: http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/community/articles/1145/announcing-borderlands-the-pre-sequel
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